Grade 12 graduation is a time of excitement and celebration for graduands and their families. But it can also be the start of trouble that lasts a short time, trouble that lasts a lifetime or trouble that snuffs out a life.First, consider drinking. Grad and drinking have long been associated. Drinking alcoholic beverages can create problems. You can get a ticket for drinking under age or for having open liquor in a vehicle. They can be fixed by paying a fine and don’t result in any sort of record. In some provinces with graduated or probationary licence systems, these tickets can result in demerit points or a review and you may end up with more restrictions.Some of these charges are more serious, such as impaired driving. It will leave you with a criminal record, fine and lengthy driving prohibition. The criminal record can impede your ability to get a job or travel.While you can apply for a pardon, which seals your criminal record, you have to wait for several years to do this.Also, consider that more serious criminal charges can result from drinking and driving. If you get into an accident and someone is injured or killed, you may be charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm or death. This is a serious charge that results in jail time, a lengthier driving ban and more serious criminal record. The maximum punishment for impaired driving causing bodily harm is 10 years. If you cause the death of another person while driving under the influence, the maximum term is life imprisonment.If you refuse to take a breathalyzer but caused death or injury to another person, you could face life imprisonment.Youth need to think about these consequences before the party starts and make plans to avoid being caught in such circumstances.There are also civil consequences that arise. If you drive while impaired, you may lose your insurance coverage. Your licence or vehicle insurance will pay out the property and injury damage, then look to you to recover the money. It can be in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Imagine leaving high school with a crippling debt of $250,000.There are also non-legal consequences. Imagine looking into the eyes of the parents, siblings and friends of someone from your hometown that you killed because you were drunk.There are other offshoots of this behaviour at grad. There have been rising reports of sexual assaults, date rape, unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Youth allow themselves to do things at parties they would not ordinarily do. If you are drinking, make sure you know what is going into your drink.Parents can stay involved without squashing a good time. Planned grads, dry grads and safe grads are all good strategies. Ensuring no one is driving is a good idea. Parents should make sure they know where their kids will be and who they’ll be with. Have specific chats with the grad regarding drug and alcohol use, operation of a motor vehicle and the consequences of impaired driving and sexual relations.Sticking your head in the sand as a parent doesn’t do any good. Realize that pressure from peers and im-paired judgment can cause youth to make bad decisions. Try to make them realize that one night of fun can result in a lifetime of consequences.Be careful and make grad a celebration.
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
Here are some reasons teens should not drink alcohol:
* Alcohol slows the function of the central nervous system. This alters a person’s perceptions, emotions, movement, vision and hearing.* People who have overused alcohol may stagger, lose their co-ordination and slur their speech. They will probably be confused and disoriented. Depending on the person, intoxication can make someone friendly and talkative or aggressive and angry. Reaction times are slowed dramatically, which is why people are told not to drink and drive.* When large amounts of alcohol are consumed in a short period of time, alcohol poisoning can result. Violent vomiting is usually the first symptom. Extreme sleepiness, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing, dangerously low blood sugar, seizures and even death may result.* Teens who drink may be arrested if they’re under the legal drinking age. Teens who drink are also more likely to get into fights and commit crimes than those who don’t.* Teens who drink regularly often have problems with school. Drinking can damage a student’s ability to study well and get decent grades, as well as affect sports performance.* The nervous system changes that come from drinking alcohol can cause people to do embarrassing things, like throwing up or peeing themselves. Drinking also causes bad breath.* Teens who drink are more likely to be sexually active and to have unsafe, unprotected sex. Resulting pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases can change – or even end – lives. The risk of injuring yourself, maybe even fatally, is higher when you’re under the influence. One half of all drowning deaths among teen males are related to alcohol use. Use of alcohol greatly increases the chance that a teen will be involved in a car crash, homicide or suicide.For more information, visit www.lcbo.com/socialresponsibility/teens.shtmlSource: http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/alcohol.htmlRick Danyliuk is a lawyer with McDougall Gauley LLP in Saskatoon.
