Dealing with a problem drinker can be a lifelong battle

The work doesn't end simply by knowing what the problem is and knowing how to solve it. Dealing with a problem drinker can be a lifelong battle, one that requires patience and support from everyone around the drinker. Even with that, it can be draining.

I know from experience that the fear surrounding a person who abuses alcohol doesn't go away even after sobriety. All too often, if a teenage drinker is left to continue drinking through their teen years and into adulthood, the chances of alcohol being habitual and affecting their lives long term increases dramatically. Many teens who drink will continue drinking into their college years. Without a parent in college to help guide them, their grades will suffer and possibly their other relationships with friends.

Fortunately, the laws are changing regarding teenage drinking as studies show the effect that advertisement, peer pressure and maturity play in alcohol abuse. Many communities have zero-tolerance laws with serious consequences for a teenager who is caught drinking and driving. Hopefully, these laws will deter underage drinkers from acting impulsively and getting behind the wheel of a car after a night of partying with their friends.

Knowing that teenagers will automatically feel the need to break away from their parents control by experimenting in behaviors we wouldn't normally approve of doesn't change the fact that we are parents. When I look at my children, I worry that they too will go out into the world and make choices that aren't always going to be the right choice. My job as their parent, their teacher, as a person who loves them is to make sure they are armed with as much knowledge as they can have regarding the dangers of engaging in underage drinking and how it can affect their entire lives.

Through guidance, support, and love, most children will make it through their teenage years without feeling the loss and grief that so many parents have faced when a child dies because of an alcohol related accident. We can do our part by educated them, making sure that laws continue to be enforced to protect them against underage drinking to give them the best chance to have the fullest life possible.