More and more kids are getting arrested for underage drinking.  Many of these kids come from affluent neighborhoods and are popular kids.  One such girl, recently featured in a newspaper article, had been a cheerleader and very much part of the “in crowd” at her school.  This pretty cheerleader recently found herself in handcuffs and sentenced to probation.  

 In a recent statewide survey 25 percent of high school seniors admit to binge drinking at least once in the last month.  (Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks at one episode.)

56 percent of the kids said that they had used alcohol in the last month.

Why are so many kids drinking and why are some drinking themselves into oblivion?

In the case of the pretty cheerleader she said she was bored.   When drinking is the thing to do, kids don’t develop the ability create activities that don’t involve alcohol.  Life can appear boring, because they simply have not learned that there is a big world out there and lots of opportunity for adventure.  Living life to the fullest is an art, which for some, needs to be developed.

Unless this art is developed before adulthood, life may be short and miserable for many of our bright kids.

There are solutions.  It starts with the family.  Talk to your kids and learn the truth about their life and how they feel about it.  Introduce them to activities.

Let’s change what the “in crowd’ is doing so the “in crowd” makes it into adult years and can become the leaders in society we will need.