Health and Fitness : Will Your Junior High Student Try Alcohol This Summer?

“The exact date is June 17th, 1994. I am fourteen, which is the norm these days, when the mean age of the first drink for girls is less than thirteen years old. I am a few days shy of my eighth-grade graduation. Summer vacation looms close, and just beyond it, regional high school.”

In the book Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood, Koren Zailckas is recounting her first drink of alcohol. In it she describes how she was susceptible to her friend’s peer pressure. For many of us, we grew up with friends like Koren’s. Because each of us has to find our way in junior high, and because we lack the wisdom and confidence to know there are other options at this tender age, it can be easy to wind up connecting with friends that pressure us to do some things that may not seem right.

Does this quote bring to mind your past, perhaps your first taste of alcohol? If you’re a parent it can be easy to still see the innocence of your middle school aged child. It’s more difficult to recall the disjointed feelings and thoughts that they are experiencing at that age. Even though the junior high aged children in our lives can still seem so young and inexperienced, they are capable of making big decisions that can impact their future.

With school almost out for the summer, the middle school aged student is one to pay attention to. For some junior high aged youth, this will be the first time they could have the opportunity to taste alcohol or perhaps try a cigarette. Often the reasons behind this are multifaceted. Perhaps they have friends that are more experienced with alcohol or other drugs. Perhaps parents, who are working hard, are unable to check in with them on a regular basis. Perhaps a family member or neighbor will be the one to offer the alcohol or tobacco. Maybe they are looking for a way to gain new friends. Perhaps it’s a matter of easy access to alcohol in the “beer fridge” in the garage.

As summer approaches, think about how your junior high student will be spending their time and who will be around to have a presence in their life. Who will be pouring their time and energy into your child? If you’re a parent of any aged youth, but especially junior high aged, it is strongly encouraged that you have a plan in place of who will be checking in on your child or spending time with them. Studies remind us that each year youth put off having their first taste of alcohol or tobacco, the better the chances they will have to avoid addiction in the future. Remember, the more positive interactions they have in their life, the less likely they are to say “yes” to that first taste of any unhealthy choice.

Lindsey Ungs, Certified Prevention Specialist

Area Substance Abuse Council