Home for the Holidays—Without Underage Drinking
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For high school and college students, Thanksgiving and winter breaks are a chance to catch up with friends and enjoy some unstructured time after exams have been taken and final papers turned in. But all too often, alcohol plays a leading role in the festivities, and that comes with big risks. Here’s how you can pitch in to prevent underage drinking—and keep your community safe.
Last month, we looked at on-campus binge drinking, something that one-third of college students had done within the past month, according to a national survey. But this risky behavior also extends beyond campus boundaries—in fact, young people are particularly likely to engage in both underage drinking and binge drinking during the holiday breaks, when they return home from school.
Aside from the longer-term effects of alcohol on the developing brain and on mental health, binge drinking can put teens in danger of alcohol poisoning, car crashes, risky sexual behavior, and legal trouble. The consequences of underage drinking can impact everyone—and that’s why everyone should get involved in preventing it.
Get to Know Connecticut’s Social Host Law
Some parents think that allowing their teenager to drink at home is a better alternative to letting them go out with friends, but unfortunately, this is a misconception. Under Connecticut’s Social Host Law, “hosts” can be held responsible for permitting underage drinking in their home or on their property, even if they are not home at the time. This law applies to everyone: parents of teenagers, 21-year-olds with friends who have not yet turned 21, and even party hosts who are still under the minimum legal drinking age themselves. Even if you didn’t plan the party, but find out that underage drinking is occurring at your house and take no action to stop it, you can still be held liable.
Violating the Social Host Law is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by fines up to $2,000 and up to one year in prison. It gets worse: if an intoxicated underage guest leaves your home and gets into an accident, you can be sued for damages by the minor and/or by an injured third party.
Clearly, the financial and legal consequences for hosts can be catastrophic. Protect yourself and your community by saying no to underage drinking every time—even on special occasions and holidays.
If you do host a party this holiday season, set expectations upfront. For all-ages gatherings, make sure everyone knows that alcoholic drinks are for the adults only. Lock up any alcohol not being served to your guests, and check in on your younger guests frequently. If your child will be hosting a party of their own, help them plan a theme or a list of activities to prevent opportunities for drinking. Then take steps to be a visible presence at the party, letting teens see that there is at least some level of supervision.
Brush Up on the Laws for Bars & Liquor Stores
It’s illegal to sell or serve alcohol to anyone under 21 in Connecticut, so liquor stores and bars must take extreme care to check all IDs. If someone attempts to purchase alcohol without an ID, or using an ID that clearly isn’t theirs, you must deny the sale. All establishments should post signs about their policies of checking IDs, and those under age 21 shouldn’t even be allowed into bars.
Just before the holidays is a great time to brush up on your written policies and the laws with your staff, particularly new employees, who are most likely to sell to underage customers. Make sure that all servers, sellers, and cashiers understand which forms of ID are acceptable, what to look for during an ID check, and the consequences for failing to check IDs. Practice refusing a sale so that everyone feels comfortable doing this.
Following the laws protects teens and adolescents in your community as well as your business. Failure to comply can lead to losing your license as well as liability for damages, if someone you served or sold alcohol to gets into an accident, damaging property or injuring themselves or others.
Help Teens Have a Good Time Without Alcohol
Everyone wants to enjoy the holidays—but for those under 21, alcohol should not be part of the plan. Teens who have experienced a bit of autonomy and freedom at college are unlikely to want to give that up now, so parents should have frank, open discussions where they set their expectations upfront. Let your children know that you won’t tolerate underage drinking, as well as why you disapprove of it, focusing on the risks and potential consequences. This reasoning can make it easier to set a consistent tone, so teens know that a glass of wine at Thanksgiving dinner is just as off-limits as a keg party in the backyard.
Give teens a bit of space to plan alcohol-free gatherings with friends, like a movie night in the living room. If they’ll be going out, work together to come up with a structure that everyone is comfortable with—for instance, maybe there’s no need for a curfew as long as they check in with you about their plans via text message.
Most importantly, though, make sure your teen knows to never drink and drive. If there’s one thing to repeat over and over to them, this is it. Give them an exit plan to make sure they never resort to getting behind the wheel after drinking, or to getting into a car with an intoxicated driver. Can they count on you to come pick them up, or will they be afraid of your reaction? For scenarios where your teen may need a ride home or money for an Uber ride, having a no-questions-asked emergency policy in place can be a lifesaver—literally.