ShareWIK.com

When I was in college, I’d never heard the term “binge drinking.” We used words like “hammered,” “trashed” and, well, “happy hour.”  I’m sure there were many nights when I had three drinks in less than three hours; while I never passed out or lost time, I know I made some of my stupidest decisions after sipping something strong.

Now that my son is entering the age where he’s curious about alcohol, my concern is heightened. Pay attention to your kids’ conversations and you’ll hear about friends drinking to excess on the weekends; filling water bottles with liquor, and stealing beer from their parents’ fridge. (Note: do not tell your kids that alcohol doesn’t freeze; you’ll know if they’ve been swiping your vodka when the bottle bursts.) I read just yesterday that visiting the ER to check for alcohol poisoning has become some sort of college freshman tradition.

Because I used to work for a media production company that specializes in producing award-winning programming about teen issues (www.cwknetwork.com), I’ve done my share of research about underage drinking, partying, addiction, and DUI. I was also married to an addict (now in recovery) so I feel as if I have some personal skin in the game where our son is concerned.

I first learned the inside horror stories of binge drinking from a book called Smashed: The Story of a Drunken Girlhood, which I read years ago when I was more concerned about my son swallowing a Lego piece -- not a six-pack of beer. Extremely well-written by Koren Zailckas when she was 24, Smashed is a memoir of her love affair with drinking -- which began when she was 14. 

Zailckas had alcohol poisoning at 16, her first black-out at 19 (when she was sexually abused), and woke up in an apartment at age 22 with no recollection of how she got there. That’s the day she stopped binging and drinking and decided to write about a life she often barely remembers. I highly recommend Smashed as an eye-opening account of what our kids – or our kids’ friends – could be up to on the nights they tell us that they're sleeping at each other’s houses. Better to be aware and paranoid and talk openly with our kids about our expectations than to  pretend it couldn’t happen to us.

Another resource I highly recommend is CWK Network’s Emmy Award-winning DVD, Shattered, the true documentary of a young woman who had everything going for her – college scholarship, pre-med, a loving family – until one-too-many-nights of drinking and driving left one person dead and irrevocably changed the course of many lives. It’s a must-see for you and your kids, before they get the keys to the car. This is definitely a case of “a picture is worth a thousand words” – and definitely more likely to be "seen and heard"  than another parental lecture. 

Another must-read recommendation is your state’s rules about serving alcohol to minors in your home. As our kids near high school graduation, there will likely be a chasm among your friends on the issue of underage drinking. Some parents will feel it’s inevitable and they’d rather their kids drink in their home than somewhere else and risk driving under the influence; some parents will hold the line at zero tolerance -- absolutely no alcohol for minors. And there will be some who aren't quite sure. The laws that govern your state might just help you make up your mind. Check out YouthBingeDrinking.com to learn the rules in your state regarding serving alcohol to minors. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather piss-off my kid or embarrass him than go to jail.

Experts recommend that you exchange phone numbers and friendship with the parents of your kids’ friends, and that you share philosophies, house rules and support. Having a direct line to another parent can be the most valuable information you have about your kid. 

And finally, here's a tip many of us could have used 20 years ago, or perhaps might still benefit us (or our of-age children). If you’ve ever had a little too much to drink and thought that now would be the perfect time to send that irate email to your boss, your ex or your mother-in-law, check out Mail Goggles, a Gmail app that gives you one last chance to have second thoughts before you hit send. Mail Goggles tests your mental agility with five math questions you must answer correctly before it will mail your message, expletives and all.

If only that guy I dated in high school would use it, I’m pretty­ sure I’d never hear from him again.

Ginger is a 20-year veteran corporate writer in Atlanta, and most recently, the former national web editor at skirt!, www.skirt.com. She is a regular blogger for Huffington Post’s divorce vertical (www.huffingtonpost.com/divorce) and skirt.com, the mother of a 16-year-old son, and the author of the hilarious and helpful book, “Back On Top: Fearless Dating After Divorce.” She is a regular ShareWIK.com columnist, and has been featured in More.com, Glamour.com, LovingYou.com and several other women-centric media. She has appeared dozens of local and national TV and radio shows, including as host of Book Talk with Ginger in Atlanta, Georgia. 

For more Ginger Emas columns, click here 

©2011 ShareWIK Media Group, LLC