Warmer months may give teens more opportunities to consume alcohol

By Staff Writer

Spring is a time for students to attend proms and relax during semester break vacation, but these instances may give teens more opportunities to engage in drug or alcohol use.

To prevent this behavior, law enforcement officials in South Carolina are teaming up with the Tri-County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the First Judicial AET Team to send a drug prevention message to all teens and parents, The Times and Democrat reports.

The statewide campaign called Out of Their Hands aims to prevent the use of alcohol and drugs, not only at these school events, but also throughout their lives. Parents are urged to be aware and note that the most common signs of a underage drinking party includes lost of cars, frequent traffic and excessive noise.

Consuming alcohol at an early age can harm development. To prevent this, parents should explore therapeutic boarding schools that can help their child find healthier activities.

According to the 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey, nearly 37 percent of eighth graders used alcohol at least once in their lifetime.