You may think you’re invincible. But all it takes is one bad decision. Celebrate safely this prom and graduation season. Avoid drugs. Don’t drink and don’t get in a car with someone who has been drinking.
Every year, an alarming number of teens lose their lives to injuries associated with alcohol and drugs, and motor vehicle crashes remain the number one killer of people ages 15-20. During prom and graduation weekends, teen deaths from crashes are higher than any other time of year.
According to a national survey of more than 2,500 eleventh and twelfth graders, 90% of teens believe their counterparts are more likely to drink and drive on prom night and 79% believe the same is true for graduation night. Yet, that belief does not translate to concern, as only 29% and 25% of teens say that driving on prom night and graduation night, comes with a high degree of danger.
Scary Statistics:
The U.S. Surgeon General reports that by the age of 18, more than 70% of teens have had at least one drink. Of adults who started drinking before age 15, around 40% say they have the signs of alcohol dependence. That rate is four times higher than for adults who didn’t drink until they were age 21.
Teens may act invincible, but when it comes to drugs and alcohol, they're actually more vulnerable than adults to harmful effects on the brain, researchers said at Neuroscience 2010, the Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego, California. According to Dr. Frances Jensen of Children’s Hospital Boston, brain development is actively transpiring even in the teen brain, and if you throw in a drug on top of that, you could change the trajectory of brain development.
Stay sober. Sign a sober contract and live to celebrate another day! Click on the links below for a copy of the student sober contract, parent contract, contest entry information and official rules.
