On any given Saturday around two o’clock, give or take a few hours, log onto Facebook and it’s almost guaranteed that a set of pictures containing red-faced friends, suspicious-looking cups and horribly photoshopped soda bottles will pop up in your news feed.
According to the Aegis and Joseph Ryan of the Harford County Office of Drug Control Policy, underage drinking is much more prevalent in Harford County than in the rest of the state. Walking through the halls and overhearing conversations about who almost died because they were so out of it seems to support this statement.
Sure, Harford County’s night life isn’t what you might call “bumpin’,” but it’s not so bad that you need to be unconscious to bear it. Being bored is a result of lacking creativity. We might not have a designated place to publicly hang out past 10 p.m. on a Saturday, but there’s plenty to do that doesn’t involve alcohol. Kids take up drinking because it’s convenient. Stealing your parent’s alcohol and vegging out in the basement doesn’t take as much effort as planning something like a movie night or a scavenger hunt might.
It might seem “mature” or “empowering” to go out to parties because of the initial popularity, but there’s nothing empowering about the embarrassment, shame or danger of the results from a hard night. Socially, there’s nothing that makes you lose popularity quicker than a night when you can’t keep up with the crowd, and for the inexperienced party-goer, it could happen in an hour.
The idea of partying is so dangerous because teenagers are too stubborn to be educated on drinking, yet know very little about the actual alcohol they are consuming. Unless parents are willing to face the truth and tell their kids about drinking, kids likely will go out and research it themselves. Few kids enter the party scene knowing what their tolerance level is, leading to parties being huge experiments.
It’s unfortunate that Americans have taken the concept of consuming alcohol and have spiraled out of control with it. Telling your friends how little you remember about the night before is not worth risking major life opportunities for. Making your profile picture on Facebook a picture of you holding a beer can in one hand and a peace sign in the other will not make you look cool, but will most likely prevent you from getting into the college you desire.
The recent scandal in Harford County pertaining to underage drinking occurred when the Bel Air Police busted a party that was advertised on Facebook as “The Laughing Duck.” The party was set up for underage teens to drink in a social atmosphere. The police gave three citations to those of age serving the alcohol and gave everyone at the party a breathalyzer test.
The police’s taking charge and not tolerating underage drinking demonstrate an attitude that society should embrace. The idea that teenage partying has become commonly accepted by adults has gone too far, and teens are out of control.
If they are given something to do or guided to do something worthwhile and entertaining, teens won’t have to turn to the bottle on a weekend in order to have a good time.
– Patriot staff