The end of the school year is a time of joy and celebration for most young people. It's a time to honor past accomplishments and christen new beginnings. Young people expect and deserve to celebrate this milestone. But alcohol can spoil it all.

Graduation night is one of the most dangerous nights for young people, said Kay Provine, a prevention specialist for Hazelden. Parents need to be asking a lot of questions about that night, and they can greatly influence their son or daughter's decision to not drink. But the anti-alcohol message needs to come from the entire community students themselves, schools, parents, clergy, and law enforcement.

The community around Chisago Lakes High School in Lindstrom, Minn., has done its part to help achieve a safe, alcohol-free graduation celebration. Substance abuse prevention efforts are ongoing throughout the year, but in the two months preceding the school's June 2 graduation the anti-alcohol messages have been particularly strong. In late April, just days before the prom, a MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) car was prominently displayed at the high school. It featured a mangled wreck from an alcohol-related crash that killed three teenaged boys from Minnesotaa vivid reminder of the disastrous effects of drinking and driving.

Also, in March a community forum was held to help inform parents how they can make a difference in preventing underage drinking. Provine, a codeveloper of Hazelden's popular Roots and Wings parenting skills program, was the speaker.

At parent-teacher conferences in early spring, a community group called Drawing the Line, the same group that helped display the MADD car, rallied parents to support its goal of preventing underage drinking. The group encourages parents to talk to their kids about drinking. It advocates law enforcement and schools to follow through with consequences when young people are caught drinking.

It used to be that when you were caught drinking there would always be consequences, said Bud Weiser, a cochair of Drawing the Line. That's not necessarily true nowadays. A lot can be prevented if kids know it's going to be more of a problem if they're caught.

In the past couple months leading up to graduation, Chisago Lakes High School has taken every opportunity to reinforce messages against drinkingthrough flyers and in information about graduation. And as is tradition, parents of the junior and senior high students will host an all-night lock-in party at the school on graduation night, an evening that features music, dancing, games, sports, novelties, and great food.

Dave Ertl, associate principal at the high school, says it's critical to be clear and consistent with messages and policies regarding alcohol, whether they come from the school or home. Parents are the No. 1 influence in a young person's life, he said. It's never too late to sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk with your son or daughter.

Hopefully, by the time young people reach their senior year in high school, parents have talked many times with their sons and daughters about drinking and drug use. Provine promotes taking advantage of teachable moments to discuss alcohol use, and graduation time is certainly one of those classic moments. Seize the opportunity, she suggests.

To promote clear no-use standards, Provine says it's important for parents to clarify their own standards. Parents who don't drink or who drink responsibly in front of their children will have an easier time explaining a firm no-use standard. Set rules and expectations regarding alcohol use, and lay out consequences for violating those rules before problems occur, she adds.

Also, parents need to recognize that it's hard for young people to say no, so teach them skills to resist peer pressure to drink or use other drugs, Provine says.

It's important to explain the risks of alcohol use. Alcohol is a dangerous, mood-altering drug that is addictive and illegal (for people under 21). It makes people do risky, stupid things they would never do when sober. Tell your son or daughter how alcohol can hurt them today. It can lead to tragic car crashes, unwanted pregnancy, serious injury, and crime. Discuss how drinking and drivinggetting caught with a blood alcohol level of as little as .02, or one drinkcan result in losing one's license to drive for a year or more. That's a real wakeup call to any young person relying on a car for the coming years.

Tell your son or daughter to have a good time on graduation night, said Provine. Tell them, You've accomplished a lot. Don't ruin it by doing something you'll regret for the rest of your life.

--Published May 20, 2002