[BHS etree] HEALTH CENTER: WinterBall 2006 Health and Safety

[bhs at idiom.com]

Please do not hit reply, contact Alena Wall,
mailto:awall at ci.berkeley.ca.us

What are your plans?
Safe & Sober Winter Ball

Parents, did you know Saturday, January 28th is Winter Ball? The
event takes place at the Berkeley Marina, where students will spend
much of the night aboard a boat on the bay. This year's dance theme
is Mardi Gras, and over 300 students are expected to attend. Now that
you are informed, what are your child's plans for the night of Winter
Ball? If you don't know, it's time to ask. 

While most of the attention for the dance is focused on suits and
dresses, nails and hair, going with friends or a date, there are
other things that should be given a great deal of thought as well.
For instance, how does your son/daughter plan on getting to and from
the dance? What are his/her plans after the event? What is your child
going to do, if he/she finds him/herself in a sticky situation where
drugs or alcohol are involved? How can he/she be responsible and
safe? 

We encourage you as parents to take the responsibility to ask your
son/daughter some important questions: 

- Who are you going to Winter Ball with? 
- How are you getting to and from the dance? 
- What are your plans after the event?
- If drugs and alcohol happen to be involved, how will you return
home safely? 

Asking these questions could keep them from losing their driver's
license, huge fines, jail time, and/or seriously harming themselves
or others. Every year, thousands of youth across the country die or
are fatally injured in drug and alcohol related incidents that could
have been prevented. 

This Winter Ball, support your child in being safe and sober. If
things don't go as planned, be there for your child and offer to be a
designated driver. Other options include: Calling a friend or family
member. Calling a taxi. Taking the bus. Whatever your child does,
tell them not to drink or use drugs and drive, and not to get in a
car with someone who has been drinking or using drugs. It's just that
simple. With this said, what are your son or daughter's plans?
-Alison Olsen

A message from the BHS Health Center Injury Prevention Program.

Visit the following websites for more information on how to discuss
substance use with your teen: 
	http://www.pamf.org/teen/parents/risk/alcohol.html

	http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/alcohol.html

	http://www.theantidrug.com/pdfs/ei/parents_brochure.pdf

	http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/alcohol.html

	http://fsos.che.umn.edu/projects/parentingteens/teentalk.html


Alena E Wall, MA, CHES 
BHS Health Center Youth Programs Coordinator 
City of Berkeley Health & Human Services 
(510) 981-5326