BUILDING EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR TALKING TO YOUR STUDENTS ABOUT ALCOHOL AND DRIVING

SPEAK YOUR MIND

AREAS FOR STUDYAs was said earlier, the key to becoming an eff ecti ve resource and source of informati on for your children is gaining knowledge. Have the facts on your side and at your fi ngerti ps.

Using this website and associated resources, you can learn the facts about alcohol and driving, including:

> The eff ect of alcohol on the body – Even in the year 2010, the impact that alcohol has on people, and how that im-pact can vary based on factors like gender, is someti mes poorly known. Learn about how alcohol aff ects the body so you can explain the process that your body goes through to process alcohol and how long it can take to leave your system.

> The eff ect of alcohol on driving – Everyone knows that drinking and driving is bad. Right? Wrong. The fi rst mistake that parents make is that they assume their kids know that this is a bad idea. The problem is that while everyone knows that the mechanics of driving are fundamentally impossible when someone is intoxicated, the eff ects of a small or moderate amount of alcohol in the body is poorly understood.

> Myths and misconcepti ons about impaired driving – Too oft en, young people are the victi ms of bad data. Misper-cepti ons and myths need to be dealt with head-on; otherwise they lead to poor decisions down the line. Key here is learning about the common mispercepti ons of impaired driving like saying that all drunk drivers are the same.

Scenarios for class discussions with youth

Following are possible scenarios that youth may face with drinking and driving. Each scenario is summarized with a ti tle followed by a brief descripti on of the circumstance. This is followed by variables to the scenario to provoke and to guide discussion.

Scenario #1: Party at a friend’s house

Descripti on: You are invited to a party at a friend’s house. A close friend off ers to give you a ride. When you get to the friend’s house, it turns out that it’s a keg party. The close friend who gave you a ride drinks but also eats throughout the evening. About fi ve hours later, when it’s ti me to go home, your ride seems sober even though he had several glasses of beer, earlier on. You know that there’s a risk to being a passenger with driver who’s had even just one drink, so you don’t want ride home with your friend. What will you do?

> Variable #1: In additi on to the above, although there are other people at the party, most live in the neighbour-hood, and walked over. Only you and the friend who gave you a ride have driven. Both you and your ride live in the same neighbourhood, but from the other side of town – too far to walk. What will you do?

> Variable #2: Also, public transit stopped an hour earlier. What will you do?

> Variable #3: Further, you haven’t enough money for a cab. What will you do?

> Variable #4: There’s more: your parents are out of town for the weekend. What will you do?

> Variable #5: Finally, you don’t have any other relati ves who live in the community. What will you do?

Scenario #2: Camping at the lake

Descripti on: You and some friends go out camping to a lake camp site, and drive to get there on Friday evening. You all brought lots to drink, but the plan is that you are staying over, and will only drive back on Sunday aft ernoon. But late Friday night, there’s a thunderstorm with a torrenti al downpour. When someone

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checks the weather forecast, you fi nd out it’s expected to rain – hard – for the rest of the weekend. Everybody wants to go home, but you’ve all been drinking steadily since you arrived. What will you do?

> Variable #1: The lake is an hour’s drive from where you live. What will you do?

> Variable #2: Also, there’s no cell phone recepti on, and there’s no public telephone. What will you do?

> Variable #3: Everybody else decides to leave and drive home. What will you do?

> Variable #4: Not only does everybody decide to leave, but you don’t have a tent, and the fi re has gone out. What will you do?

Scenario #3: Water-skiing at the lake

Descripti on: You and some friends go out camping to a lake where you plan to tent and water ski with the motor boat someone has brought. But when it’s someone else’s turn to ski, and you’re riding in the boat, you noti ce that your friend is drinking a beer while driving the boat. What do you do?

Scenario #4: Date night

Descripti on: You and your date go out to eat, and plan to go to a movie. Although you both had a big meal, you both drink. Your date drove. Dinner is done, and it’s ti me to drive to your movie. What will you do?

> Variable #1: The movie theatre is just across the parking lot from the restaurant, so you can walk over. The movie lasts an hour and a half. It’s been two hours since your date’s last drink, when it’s ti me to go. What will you do?

> Variable #2: Even though it’s been two hours since your date’s last drink, your date sti ll seems a bit intoxicated. What will you do?

> Variable #3: You aren’t insured on your date’s car. What will you do?

Scenario #5: After the game

Descripti on: You’re playing sports, Saturday night, and you caught a ride with a friend who also plays. Aft er the game everybody decides to go out for drink. It’s goes on late – ti ll closing – and your ride has been drinking all night. What will you do?

> Variable #1: Everybody else who has a car has already left . What will you do?

> Variable #2: Also, public transit stopped an hour earlier. What will you do?

> Variable #3: Further, you haven’t enough money for a cab. What will you do?

> Variable #4: There’s more: your parents are out of town for the weekend. What will you do?

> Variable #5: Finally, you don’t have any other relati ves who live in the community. What will you do?

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Scenario #6: At a friend’s house

Descripti on: Your mom dropped you off at a friend’s house for the evening. Your friend’s dad is planning to give you a ride home. But when it’s ti me to go home, you can tell you friend’s dad has been drinking. What do you do?

> Variable #1: Public transit has shut down, and you haven’t enough money for a cab. What do you do?

> Variable #2: You can’t reach either of your parents on the phone. What do you do?

Scenario #7: Concert road trip

Descripti on: You and your friends have ti ckets to a rock concert. One of your friends has borrowed his parents’ mini-van, and you’re all going in one vehicle. But your driver has been drinking throughout the concert. When it’s ti me to go home, what will you do?

> Variable #1: All your friends except you have been drinking as well. What will you do?

> Variable #2: You haven’t been drinking, but you don’t have a driver’s licence. What do you do?

Scenario #8: Home for the holidays

Descripti on: You’re att ending university about six hours’ drive from home. It’s Christmas, and to save some money, you’re catching a ride home. But when you stop to eat along the way, about three hours into the trip, your driver decides to have a beer with the meal. What do you do?

> Variable #1: The driver is a good friend, whose parents are friends of your parents. What do you do?

> Variable #2: You don’t know the driver very well. What do you do?

> Variable #3: There’s no bus or train service. What do you do?

> Variable #4: There are hotels close by, but you don’t have a credit card. What do you do?

Scenario #9: Ski weekend

Descripti on: Over the Christmas break, you and some friends from high school have booked a ski weekend with a chalet, a couple hours’ drive from your home town. You’ve caught a ride with a friend on the understanding that you have to come back on Sunday night in order to be back in ti me to catch a non-refundable fl ight early Monday morning back to university, in another part of the country. But Sunday evening, your friend has a few drinks with dinner. What do you do?

Scenario #10: Mountain snowmobiling

Descripti on: You and some friends go out camping in the mountains, and each of you is riding your own snowmobile. When you stop for lunch, you noti ce that not only is one of your friends drinking with lunch, but has been drinking even before you stopped. What do you do?

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NOTES

EVEN SOBER YOUNG DRIVERS ARE 9 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO CRASH.

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