Access to Alcohol

More than 40% of teens who admitted drinking said they drink when they are upset; 31% said they drink alone; 25% said they drink when they are bored; and 25% said they drink to "get high." (U.S. Surgeon General, 1991)
Each year, students spend $5.5 billion on alcohol, more than they spend on soft drinks, tea, milk, juice, coffee or books combined. On a typical campus, per capita students spending for alcohol--$446 per student--far exceeds the per capita budget of the college library. (Eigen, 1991 in the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse). Source

• If these numbers are correct and alcohol is supposed to be illegal for those under 21, where are they getting this alcohol?
• How easily available is alcohol to teens these days?
  

Overscheduled Children

From even the youngest of ages, it seems that children today have a full calendar every day of the week. For families with two or more children and parents who work outside the home, it can get pretty hectic to get everyone to the right place at the right time. Its hectic for the parents, but what about the kids?
“Children who are overscheduled have a higher incidence of anxiety, especially performance anxiety and wondering how they’re doing in a certain activity, or striving for protection”, says University of Michigan child psychologist Michelle Kees.
As a parent of three children myself, it is often hard to limit their activities because we see how much fun they are having. They also are learning great life lessons from both school and non-school activities.

• Do you think you are “overscheduled”?
• Do your parents “push” you into certain activities?
• Do you feel pressure to be more involved knowing that employers and college applications want more and more?