How Badly Do You Want That?

Click here to read an article about "The Underage Drinking Epidemic."
With nicknames like "Suicide in a Kettle" or "Blackout in a Can," one would think that it would be obvious to stay away from these drinks, but apparently not.
How do we, as a society, convey alcohol? There are those who say that we can't blame media or music for the decisions of minors. I agree to an extent. How many songs have you heard recently that talk about the dangers of alcohol instead of lyrics like:

"Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack" -"Tik Tok" by Ke$ha

"Drink it up, drink drink it up/When sober girls around me, they be actin' like they drunk" -"Like a G6 by Far East Movement

Katy Perry, in her song, "Last Friday Night" sings about multiple consequences of being drunk but still throws in the lyrics, "This Friday night, do it all again."

What is the message we are sending to kids? Even when you look beyond media into the homes raising children today, what do they see? What example is being set?
That is just one more reason why STATS is important. When other kids are drinking things like Jungle Juice, we want students to remember ways they were taught to turn down peer pressure.
Tomorrow, we'll talk about the 4-way stop, better known as 4 ways to say "no."