Our teenagers have posed a challenge in our societies for millenniums. We should not forget that once we were teenagers and did some very stupid things (I used the blunt end of the axe as a hammer and nearly split my skull in half with the sharp end). Teenage alcohol use and drunk driving is way beyond stupid: it is downright dangerous and can turn into a fatal endeavor. The statistics do not lie: 70% of teenagers drink, the leading cause of deaths are car crash, homicide and suicide and they are all alcohol related, and the average age of trying alcohol for boys is 11 and for girls is 13!

What exactly drives these boys and girls to the bottle? The good old shrink would say, well, it is the influence of friends and (dysfunctional) families, media created images and role models, curiosity, feeling older, easy way to make friends, ease of access (not legally, though), and of course the ever-present ego (“I can handle it”, “I am invincible”). This is all nice and well but what else is new: we’ve known this for centuries, except, of course, before Henry Ford they did not drive, they rode the horse and fell off, breaking whatever hit the ground first. Our grand dad’s best friend was Jack Daniel, our father loved it too, every movie contains some level of drinking (Iron man is constantly drinking on the job) so what gives you the right to expect your teens to pattern their lives after Mother Theresa?

So what have our authorities done to ease the pain on our society? Well, the blood alcohol level got lowered, the drinking age got raised to 21 (you can vote for President at age 18 but cannot buy a can of beer), the Writers Guild of America initiated movies with better role models, and a SafeRide America program has been initiated. Well done indeed, however, this has not changed the constitution of teenage hormones at all, i.e. the symptoms have been partially eliminated but the problem has not been dealt with: the psychological as well as biological changes that occur during the teen years, something that no government, non-profit organization or even a parent can change or control. So is there anything we can do to protect our teens? Here are a few ideas:

• Acceptance. Learning is a matter of discovery and discovery requires mistakes. Now brace yourself: you have to accept the fact that your teens will make mistakes and will try anything they can because this is the way they learn, and this is the time in their lives when they are curious about everything. Part of the problem is that they are told “don’t do this” and “don’t do that” without having a clear idea of why. Be proactive and let them try things (with limits, of course) as well as explain everything about things you do not want them to try, e.g. sex at age 11. My father took me out to drive when I was 13 without me asking, taught me the proper way to drive, and let me drive whenever it was possible. I never had the urge to steal the car!
• Preparation. Why do kids get drunk? Because they are curious, and why are they curious, because they have never tried alcohol and they lack the experience. So prepare them for life: let them try alcohol, cigarettes, or anything else that can be tried safely in small amounts and is legal. Once they inhale and cough like a donkey, they have an idea of what smoking is. After you showed them the pictures of lungs and livers of decades of abuses, they have an idea of what is waiting for them down the road. I am a great believer of the pain theory: it takes real pain to change the essence of a person. Let them suffer real pain, puke like a party dog after they get drunk, to accelerate learning.
• Education. I ran a martial art class for many years and noticed that there was a distinct difference between the students’ behavior in my class and at home or school. Parents who could not control their kinds brought them to me. Our system changed individuals very quickly: we turned losers into winners, sick into healthy while performing deadly techniques in one of the safest environments there is. The problem is that parents do not have the guts to be parents and teachers are not qualified to be teachers. Our educational system has failed our teens! It is time to realize that there is no such thing as a stupid student, only incompetent parents and teachers!
• Technology. Have you ever wondered about our technological advances? I mean, we can put a man on the Moon but we cannot design air conditioning systems to make each office comfortable. What really boils my blood is this: we now compute in the cloud, run our businesses on our iPhone, video conference half way around the world, yet we let our cars start if the driver is intoxicated! It would be a simple matter of passing a Federal law that requires every car manufacturer to install a gadget that won’t let the car start if the driver is intoxicated or the air inside the car has alcohol in it. Of course, such device does exist (ignition interlock) but it is installed after the tragedy has occurred!

Teenage drunk driving is a serious matter and it remains hopeless unless parents and teachers step up to the plate and take responsible action. Do not look to Governments for solutions, the mess is in your backyard and no-one but you can clean it up. Consulting with a DUI lawyer is also a good idea to get prepared in case that dreaded phone call comes.

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