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Highlighting Youth Voices: A Negligent Watch is a Consequential One
This month, we are excited to hear directly from SAPCA Board member Calvin O'Brien, an Alexandria City High School sophomore, as he shines a spotlight on Virginia's Social Host Law:
During this season full of prom and graduation celebrations, it is important for youth, adults, schools, and communities to raise awareness about alcohol abuse and misuse. The risks of underage drinking range from impaired judgement, coordination, and memory to poor decision-making, and even alcohol-related injuries, accidents, and deaths. While sharing information about these risks is an effective deterrent to underage drinking for some, we must come together as a community to address another factor impacting underage drinking: youth access to alcohol.
Parents, older siblings, family members, and any other adults age 21 or older are legally liable when they knowingly give alcohol to anyone under age 21. Besides harming and endangering youth, adults face legal consequences upon conviction when they provide alcohol to minors. For example, if a parent provided alcohol for a post-prom party, that parent could face up to 12 months in jail, loss of the driver’s license for up to 12 months, and a fine of $2,500 per young person given alcohol at the party
But the consequences in the legal system aren’t the worst outcomes-- it's the social implications that follow. But these consequences do not compare to the potential long-term outcomes. According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, youth who begin drinking alcohol before age 15 are four times more likely to experience alcohol addiction compared to youth who wait until age 21 or later to start drinking. I have seen how alcohol use can cause irreparable damage to others; even just one slip-up can snowball into an avalanche that crushes one person at first and eventually an entire community. The good news is there is hope for a better future.
So, what can you do? You can start with educating yourself and your child about the consequences of youth alcohol use. You can also explore free resources from SAPCA, including tips about communicating with teens and supporting healthy decision-making. Additionally, you can get involved with SAPCA’s prevention efforts as a volunteer by visiting alexandriava.gov/SAPCA. Simply reaching out to learn more is a powerful and important step you can take to raise awareness about the dangers of youth alcohol use this month and year-round.
Please join us in thanking Calvin for sharing this important message with our community!
Calvin was born in San Antonio, TX and has lived places as far away as Germany and as close as North Carolina as a military brat. Through this, he has gained insight into many different people and their behaviors, as well as an irrefutable ability to adapt. He has two sisters and spends his free time organizing fundraising events for his school, volunteering, and writing poetry. He was recently elected as the Vice President of his school’s poetry club. He is very interested in prevention and has many coping mechanisms and outlets he hopes to share with others.
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