The evidence is shocking.  Parents grossly underestimate their teenagers drug use and alcohol abuse.  Most parents are aware that teens drink, but they are also falsely under the impression that their own teen does not.  Interestingly about ten percent of parents believe their own son or daughter consumed alcohol within the last 365 days, and only 5 percent believed their teen used marijuana in the past school year, according to a recent poll done in Michigan.

Now here is some more shocking information.  When these same teens were polled over 50% of them said had drank alcohol in the last year and almost 30% reported smoking pot within that same time period.  Those number are reflected in a national survey of over 400 hundred schools across the country, both public and private.

Why is there such a disconnect between parents believes and their children's behavior?  It mostly has to do with parents being in denial about what their teens are really up to.  Even good kids make bad decisions sometimes.  Most parents simply assume their child wouldn't ever want to try those harmful things or they simply view them as innocent.  It is believed that most 10th graders will use both alcohol and marijuana in the next year.  In fact the estimation is about 60% will try or use alcohol and 40% will use marijuana.

Alcohol and Drug Awareness Courses will help open the door to communicating to young America how important it is to understand the risks and consequences of using these substances.  Educational programs such as these offer a low barrier to entry because they are relatively inexpensive and provide quality education that both teens and their parents can immediately benefit from.

Most parents would say they try and protect their children from drinking or gaining access to alcohol.  It would seem almost common sense to not supply alcohol to minors, especially your own, right?  Wrong!  Shockingly, in a recent survey, minors who were polled admitted that about 20% of the alcohol they used came directly from their house, parents or older siblings.  What this means is that the very problem of teenage drinking can originate directly from your own home!

Alcohol awareness for adolescents in their teenage years is a huge concern.  Most teens and their parents simply don't really understand fully the dangers of underage drinking and drug use.  Most parents would agree that teens shouldn't drink.  In fact, even most teenagers would admit that drinking can be dangerous.  The problem is really three fold.

1. Underage drinking is illegal, so the minor in possession of alcohol is actually breaking the law
2. Parents who buy alcohol for teens are breaking the law by supplying alcohol to a minor
3. Underage drinking can have long term and lasting effects on brain and body development
Knowing this, why do some parents still turn a blind eye to one of America's biggest problems?  Is it ignorance, stupidity?  Perhaps the belief that they drank as teens, so what's the big deal?  Perhaps just looking at the statistics of teenage deaths in the U.S. related to alcohol might help?  It is estimated that about 4,500 teenagers die each year as the result of an underage drinking accident.  Still want to give your teen alcohol?
Despite all this good evidence and research, some parents still don’t fully comprehend the bigger issue.  Even if you don’t, you still owe it to your underage teenager to become better aware of the pitfalls of alcohol abuse and use.  Becoming educated has become simplified.

What parents can do to help is better educate their teen about the pitfalls of underage drinking and drug use.  Once such way of doing this is having them take either an 8 hour mip class, 12 Hour Minor in Possession course or a 16 hour level 2 minor in possession course. These classes are an ideal resource to get quick, fast and effective results because the classes can be taken any time, instantly from any location in the country.  Isn't your teen worth it?  Get them the education they need before it's too late.

When you have just found out that your car has been stolen or your stocks have taken a turn for the worse, the last thing anyone thinks about is alcohol awareness. The lessons learned in these classes can be vital to not contributing another problem to your life – alcoholism.

Alcohol has the direct effect of making the situations you’re in even worse. The chemical make-up of alcohol depresses the system, slowing it down to a crawl, even though you think it’s doing just fine. It slows your response time while in the bar, so what do you think it’s going to do behind the wheel? 

By getting informed about the full effects of alcohol, and not just how the buzz starts, you can keep yourself from being another statistic. Alcohol claims the top spot among addictions for the U.S., pulling in more than 12 million hardcore alcoholics, and those are just the ones in or out of rehabilitation. By becoming aware and informed through self-study or through a professional class, the chances of you and your family members experiencing alcohol problems drop drastically.

The Numbers:
America doesn’t have the highest population in the world, but somehow within the U.S. there is an alcohol related accident every 30 minutes! You can avoid being part of these statistics by seeking information about alcohol abuse. The more education and information that you and your family receive, the less likely that you, your spouse, or your kids will end up being addicted to alcohol, or even receiving a criminal conviction. 

You may ask, what does being a felon have to do with alcohol? Well, up to 73% of all felonies are committed by alcoholics or alcohol abusers as well as 73% of all cases of child abuse being committed by an alcoholic or while a person is intoxicated.

Reduces Accidents
You know for a fact that drinking and driving can be a fatal combination. But it can be avoided. In 2004 the University of Missouri ran a study in conjunction with the state of Oregon to make a law stating that all new drivers have to take an alcohol awareness class. This class concentrated on the dangers of binge drinking, which has been linked to not only to a large  of D.W.I.’s (Drinking While Intoxicated) that get reported, but also to tens of thousands of property damage cases. 

In the first year that Oregon brought in the alcohol education statute, the amount of alcohol related crashes dropped 11%, in the second year it had dropped 18%, and in the final year it showed a drop of accidents involving alcohol by 23%. When looking at these numbers you may not think that’s a lot, but 23% is a nearly a full ¼ of a 100% drop! Imagine getting 23% off your next car!

I think it has become clear that alcohol awareness classes reduce accidents and saves lives, and  keeps people informed of the dangers of binge drinking and alcohol poisoning.