West Vancouver Police, School District #45 and Vancouver Coastal Health are teaming up to deliver an important message to parents and any adult who considers helping youth access liquor.

Interim Chief Constable Jim Almas, School District #45 Superintendent Geoff Jopson, and Terry Bulych, Vancouver Coastal Health Team Leader for Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions launched a public information campaign this morning that emphasizes the health and potential legal consequences of providing liquor to youth.

The campaign is the first joint public campaign under “Reaching Out” the West Vancouver Police Youth Initiative delivered to West Vancouver Council this week.

The multi-agency effort involves coordinated messaging for parents and youth on the health, social and legal consequences of youth alcohol consumption, house parties and the growing incidence and risks of binge drinking among youth.

The campaign will aim to reach adults and youth throughout the community in a multi-media campaign, with information distributed through the internet, a local poster and brochure campaign and community media.

Private West Vancouver Liquor Retailers are participating in the campaign which includes poster placements and distribution of information brochures at point of sale. Posters will also be placed throughout the district in businesses, schools, recreation centres and other community facilities.

Full information regarding ‘Reaching Out – The West Vancouver Police and Youth’ Initiative is available in pdf format on the home page of our website.

Parents and Youth Alcohol Use – Myth and Fact

West Vancouver Police, Vancouver Coastal Health and School District #45 are asking for parents to take responsibility for their youth and their consumption of alcohol over the summer season. We encourage all adults to carefully examine the issue as we work with local liquor distributers, community members and parents to raise greater understanding of this important issue.

Myth: “It is okay for kids to drink with their parents consent, I did it with my parents.”

Fact: The only place it is legal for a youth to consume alcohol is in their own home with their parents present.

Myth:” It is okay for my child’s friends to drink in my home as long as I am supervising them. I would rather they drink where I can see them than have them do it elsewhere”

Fact: It is illegal, even for an adult to serve alcohol to minors, even in the adult’s home. Homeowners can be sued for damages under the legal concept of “Social Host Liability”. (Prevost vs Vetter)  Home owner insurance can be revoked and if there is damage caused during the commission of an offence, including under underage drinking. It is often difficult to insure youth, especially drinking youth, remain under your supervision. However, you have a duty of care for any child being allowed into your home and you can be held liable if a youth was found to be drinking at your house and then became involved in either an accident or other criminal activity. Giving permission for your child and their friends to drink in your home is the same as saying, “We are above the law. Don’t worry about it.”

Myth: I can’t be held responsible for damages my youth may incur while drinking, how am I supposed to know what they’re up to?”

Fact: Under the Parental Responsibility Act, you may in fact be held civilly responsible for the activities of your youth. If your youth takes, damages of destroys property the owner can bring civil action against you.

Myth: “It doesn’t matter what I think about underage drinking or what the consequences are if my teen gets caught, they’re going to do it anyway”

Fact: Young people tend to be risk takers and are more susceptible to peer pressure. As parents you are still the most influential force in your teen’s life. Parental, community and peer attitudes towards underage drinking moderate or interfere with a teen’s willingness to engage in obtaining and drinking alcohol underage. Even just the perception of swift and certain consequences by both parents and authorities has shown to lower the incidence and likelihood of teens engaging in this behaviour. If you make it okay for your teen to drink underage, you are contributing to the likelihood that this will occur, and not only under your direct supervision.

Myth: “My teen can handle alcohol as well as most adults, so why not let them drink now?”

Fact: The truth is that it is less about ability and more about vulnerability. Important to keep in mind is that a teen’s brain is still developing; the most current research tells us that during adolescence, the teenage brain is going through a huge phase of its development, primarily in those areas of the brain that impact personality, judgement and decision making.

Alcohol consumption, particularly in large or prolonged exposure affects this development. What may seem like an inevitable teenage rite of passage may in fact have long term affects not immediately recognized or appreciated by either the teen or the adult supporting their behaviour.

In general, most people have personally experienced that alcohol effects differ from one individual to the next. We know that body weight and gender do impact alcohol absorption. The more you weigh the longer it takes for the alcohol to achieve the effects of similar amounts on a smaller person. Most often this has to do with blood volume. Young female teens are doubly at risk. Women in general metabolize alcohol at a slower rate because the produce less of the liver enzyme that aids in elimination of alcohol from the blood stream. Secondly, by weight and blood volume, they are generally smaller than most teenage males.

Myth: “Teens have always drank, I remember what it was like for myself as a teenager”
Fact: Experimentation with alcohol has historically been seen among adolescents, but drinking patterns among youth have changed. There is strong longitudinal evidence from national, provincial and regional studies that indicate teens are no longer just “having a few”.

They are having many. And the purpose is not to experience the taste or moderate effects that come with alcohol consumption; it is to “get drunk”. Boys are shown to be at a higher risk of this behaviour than their female counterparts (18%vs. 21%).

This is manifested in the emergence of what is being labelled as “Binge Drinking”. Among those teens that identify themselves as using alcohol, between 14-26% are engaging in drinking behaviour consistent with the criteria for binge drinking.

Binge drinking entails consuming 5 or more drinks at one sitting over a short period of time. Among youth in general, 45% report to have engaged in this drinking pattern at least once a month. This has increased by 10% since 1992. Drinking and driving, dangerous stunts leading to injuries, fighting, sex assaults and suicides

Myth: “I haven’t met a teenager who doesn’t want to take risks, its part of growing up. It just so happens alcohol is part of that”

Fact: Risk taking in adolescence is a critical part of their development. What is not inevitable is that they do this through experimentation with alcohol. Teens are looking for adult recognition and status and this is the most visible way for them. It is the responsibility of adults, not just the parents, the community as a whole to provide our youth with alternative ways to take healthy risks.

There is growing evidence from international experiences that community involvement through youth initiatives, anti-drinking campaigns and promotion of pro-social norms and attitudes does in fact raise the age of first use, and lower frequency of use, and amounts consumed by underage teens.

West Vancouver Police, School District #45 and Vancouver Coastal Health are reminding parents and the community that everyone is responsible for upholding the law and ensuring the safety of our community.