Last partial update: July 2016 - Please read disclaimer before proceeding
Teenagers going out - What they need to do / know
1. What do teenagers and their parents need to decide together beforehand?
- How the teenager is getting to and from the event / party.
- How the teenager can contact the parent if needed.
- Agreement regarding calling a parent if problems occur. (See getting home safely below.)
2. What do parents need to know about a party?
- Address of party / event.
- Phone number of parent holding the party.
- Finishing time for the party.
- Details re parent supervision. How many adults will be present and do they plan to actively supervise the party or just be there in case they are needed. Has the party been registered with the police?
- Is the party by invitation only? (How are uninvited guests to be handled?)
- Details re attitude to alcohol, including:
- Will alcohol be provided at the party?
- How do the supervising parents plan to deal with underage drinking at the party?
3. What do teenagers need to take with them?
- A mobile phone if they have one.
- Money for a taxi if needed.
- A piece of paper with:
- Address of the party’s location (This is needed if someone has cause to phone ‘000’ for emergency help and is particularly important in country areas where addresses can be vague.)
- Parent’s mobile phone number
4. What do teenagers need to know about helping friends who consume too much alcohol?
Many teenagers will at some time be required to look after a friend who has consumed an excessive amount of alcohol. This situation can sometimes be very serious, even life threatening, and require the teenager to call an ambulance for help. The following advice will hopefully help teenagers who find themselves in this situation.
- Try to limit alcohol intake if there is concern the person is consuming too much alcohol or consuming it too quickly.
- Look after the person by doing the following:
- Never leave them alone. Leaving them alone is one of the most dangerous things a person can do to someone who has drunk too much or taken other drugs. Stay with them and monitor them all the time.
- Never leave them alone to ‘sleep it off’. They may get worse and even die from going into a coma or choking on their own vomit. (Leaving them alone if they are vomiting is also especially dangerous as there is a much greater risk they may choke on their vomit.)
- Never allow the person to go into a toilet cubicle alone. The person make lock the door or fall over and block the door, making getting access to provide adequate emergency treatment impossible.
- Reassure the person and keep him / her comfortable. If the person is conscious, small amounts of water are allowable as he or she is likely to be dehydrated. (If the person is quite drowsy it is best not to give fluids as the fluids may increase the risk of vomiting and choking. Water should never be given to someone who is semi-conscious or unconscious.)
- Do not try to induce vomiting. If a person feels the need to vomit, let them do it but avoid techniques such as giving water to induce vomiting; it is dangerous and not helpful.
- Do not try ‘home remedies’ to sober a person up. None of them work; it just takes time. Some can also be dangerous, especially:
- putting the person under the shower; they can easily fall over and hurt themselves
- force feeding the person bread; this can easily cause vomiting and the person may choke on the vomited bread.
- giving the person large quantities of water – again there is the risk of vomiting and choking.
- If the person is unconscious, lie them down in the recovery position (i.e. on their side with their head tilted slightly downwards). Make sure that there is plenty of free space around their mouth / face so that if the person vomits the vomit drains away freely. If the person does vomit and remain unconscious make sure that the mouth is clear of vomit. (People who stay unconscious while vomiting are at risk of death and an ambulance needs to be called IMMEDIATELY.)
- When worried, call emergency to request an ambulance urgently (See boxed section.) No one will EVER be upset about anyone calling an ambulance if they are worried about the health of a friend; even if in the end no treatment is required when the ambulance arrives. It is always best to be safe rather than sorry and parents / ambulance personel will always congratulate teenagers on their decision to be careful!!
5. When should I be really worried about a friend who has drunk too much and call an ambulance immediately?
- When anyone is worried about the health of another person, no matter what the circumstances are!! Most people are not experts in what constitutes a medical emergency and thus should err on the side of caution. As started above, it is always best to be safe rather than sorry and parents / ambulance personel will be always congratulate a person’s decision to be careful!!
- When the affected person is unconscious and can not be woken up by pinching or shouting
- When the affected person vomits without waking up.
- The affected person is breathing very slowly. This is VERY serious.
- The affected person’s skin is cold, clammy, pale or bluish / purplish in colour.
Information about calling for emergency help - ‘000’Many teenagers will at some time be required to look after a friend who has consumed an excessive amount of alcohol. This situation can sometimes be very serious, even life-threatening, and will require an ambulance to be called for. What number do I ring? What questions will I be asked?
Generally the police will not be involved unless a crime has been committed or the ambulance personel deem that the situation requires a police presence. |
Drink spiking and date rape
About 3000 drink spiking incidents were reported in Australia in 2002/3 but it is thought that far more episodes occur and go unreported. Most victims are younger women, with about half the cases occurring in women under 24 years of age. About 25 per cent of cases involve sexual assault.
While a range of drugs is involved, the practice of putting extra alcohol in drinks is responsible in the vast majority of cases; at least two thirds. Other drugs used include GHB (gammahydroxybutrrate, more commonly called ‘fantasy’) and benzodiazepines.
A drink is more likely to be spiked by someone the person knows than a complete stranger
It is a commonly held belief that drink spiking is mostly done by strangers. Unfortunately this is not the case and drink spiking is actually more likely to be done by someone the person knows. In this situation it is also likely to be done in private and not in a public bar or nightclub; another commonly held belief.
Thus young people need to be careful in all situations and be careful whom they trust. Be wary of relatively new acquaintances.
Practices that can help avoid harm from this problem include the following.
- People should only consume drinks that they have purchased personally (and watched being poured) or that come in a sealed can / bottle that they have opened.
- Do not leave drinks unattended.
- Drink through a straw when drinking from a bottle
- Never accept drinks from strangers.
- Do not taste somebody else’s drink.
- Do not consume a drink if it tastes funny. Most drugs do have a taste. For example, GHB can taste salty or chemical-like. Likewise, if there is anything gritty in the drink, stop consuming it immediately as it may indicate an added substance is present.
- Drink in a safe place where help is available if needed.
- Avoid binge drinking / getting drunk as this makes the person an easier target. (Sober people are less likely to be targeted by ‘drink spikers’.)
- Refraining from using cannabis with alcohol also reduces the risk. (Multiple drug use is always a dangerous practice.)
- Drink with a well-known friend / friends who can be relied on and try to always have a designated sober person / driver.
- A person should seek help urgently if he or she or a friend are feeling dizzy, nauseated or disinhibited after drinking.
- Help friends if they feel their drink may have been spiked by:
- Staying with the person.
- Reporting the suspected crime to the police. (This may also be helping future victims!!)
Getting adolescents home safely
Going out with friends, especially to parties, can expose adolescents to risky situations. With about 30 per cent of males and females between the ages of 14 and 19 drinking at least once a week, often at harmful levels, getting home safely is a major issue.
A mutual agreement between parents and their adolescent children including the following should ensure a safe return home when things get out of hand; as they occasionally will.
Parents should:
- agree to pick up their child at any time from any place. This will mean that when parents know their child is out, at least one parent needs to refrain from consuming alcohol so that he or she is able to drive.
- agree not to be critical of any behaviour that leads to the call at the time.
- agree to sort out any issues arising from inappropriate behaviour at a later date in a calm manner; not when doing the pick up or on arrival home.
- agree to give any friends a lift home if they require it.
Adolescent should:
- agree to call a parent for assistance regardless of the time, place or reason.
- agree not to drive when intoxicated by alcohol or after using any other drugs or if tired.
- agree not to be driven by anyone similarly affected or who they feel is an inadequate driver
- agree not to get into an over-crowded car and to always wear a seat belt.
For parents who are having a party at their home and want to do so safely, the ‘Safe Party Pack’ distributed by the NSW police is a great source of information; as is information provided by the NSW Government via 'Schools NSW'.
(http://www.alcoholsummit.nsw.gov.au/__data/page/123/Youth_matters_safe_party_tips_230206.pdf
http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/languagesupport/alcohol/acs_english.pdf
Teenage driver safety and education
Driving when young can be a dangerous activity. Deaths from motor vehicle accidents in the 15- to 24-year age group account for 27 per cent of all road deaths and occur at a rate three times that of the general population, with males predominating. Of concern is the fact that while fatalities in general have been steadily decreasing, this trend has not been apparent in young people in recent years (since 1998).
Newly licensed or novice drivers are especially at increased risk of having accidents, with the first few months being a particularly dangerous period. About 14 per cent of drivers crash within the first 12 months of commencing driving, with inexperience, night-time driving, carrying similar-aged passengers, and risky driving practices being contributing factors. There is good evidence that restricting exposure to the these risk factors reduces the incidence of death and serious injury. Such a system is in place in New Zealand and has resulted in a reduction in serious injuries of almost 23 per cent. (Restrictions on driving late at night have provided the greatest benefit.)
Thankfully obtaining a driver’s license in Australia is much more difficult than it used to be with learners having to accumulate a considerable amount of on-road experience before being allowed to sit for their license. Parents can greatly assist in this process by sharing their knowledge while helping them gain this experience. It is a great opportunity to spend time with adolescents and is something adolescents appreciate and remember. (When else will an adolescent volunteer to sit for up to 120 hours plus with their parents!!)
To date most Australian states have not opted to place restrictions on novice drivers with respect to the number of young passengers carried and the times they are allowed to drive. However parents, as the likely owner of the car the young person is driving, should consider applying restrictions to newly licensed adolescents until they have had at least six months additional driving experience. Some suggested restrictions include not driving with more than one other young person in the car and not driving late at night. Similarly, consideration should be given to not allowing a teenager to be driven by very experienced drivers at night or when several others are in the car.
The issue of alcohol and teenage driving is of obvious importance. Click here to access information regarding the issue of alcohol and driving. Also, see the section on getting home safely above.
Youthsafe is a program dedicated to the prevention of injuries in young people aged 15-25 years, which is coordinated by Spinesafe, a not-for-profit organisation. www.youthsafe.org
Other important adolescent risk taking issues
- Adolescent alcohol use – Adolescent alcohol use
- Illicit drug use – illicit substance abuse
- Smoking – Smoking related illness
- Preventing teenage pregnancy - a parent perspectiv - Preventing teenage pregnancy
- Contraception for young people - Contraception for young people