Why ‘Not In My House’ is for all adults, not just parents

By Rebecca Smith

While parents are the number one influence on a teen’s decision whether or not to drink, they are not the only influence.

That’s why the Northeast Texas Coalition Against Substance Abuse’s “Not In My House” campaign is for all adults, not just parents.

About 65 percent of minors report that they get their alcohol “from friends and family.” Of course that includes parents, but it also could include older siblings, older friends, or other adult family members.

A lot of people may think there’s nothing they can do about a minor drinking if that minor isn’t their child. But there are lots of things you can do. For starters, simply don’t provide it.

I can’t imagine a parent getting upset with another adult who refused to provide alcohol to their child (however I have heard of many parents who get upset with an adult who did provide alcohol to their child without their knowledge. Not only is that at the very least, extremely disrespectful to the parent, it is also illegal; in the state of Texas a minor can only legally consume alcohol under the supervision of their legal guardian).

And even if you have provided alcohol to youth in your life before, you can explain to them why you’re choosing not to now. Explain to them that teens who drink are at a higher risk of becoming alcohol dependent than those who wait until their 21. Explain to them that drinking underage impairs their brain development. Explain to them that teens who drink are more susceptible to physical and sexual assault, STDs, teen pregnancy and death from alcohol poisoning. Even if you think none of those things will happen under your roof, providing alcohol to minors makes them believe it’s not dangerous and emboldens them to drink more often. In fact, more high school seniors report binge drinking in East Texas than the state average.

Explain to the teen in your life, that even if you’ve provided them with alcohol before that now you know better and you care too much about them to contribute to the risks.

So even if you’re not a parent, I encourage you to join the “Not In My House” campaign. This includes signing a pledge that you won’t provide alcohol to minors and putting a yard sign in front of your house letting people know of your commitment. When other people see this sign, hopefully it will inspire them to rethink providing alcohol to the teens in their own lives as well. The sign reads “65 percent of teens get their alcohol from friends and family. It’s time to say ‘Not In My House.’”

Even if you never have provided alcohol to a minor and believe that it’s wrong, or you don’t have teens in your life, it’s still so beneficial to join the campaign and proudly display a sign. Can you imagine if this sign was in front of every house in your community? People who do provide alcohol to minors would be too ashamed to continue.

If you are interested in joining our campaign, give us a call at 903-939- 9010. We’ll get you signed up and get you a yard sign.

That’s the kind of community I want to live in; the kind where people take a stand on issues that don’t necessarily affect them directly, simply because it’s the right thing to do. It seems like people take a stand about so many other issues now days, why not a cause that’s worth standing up for, like keeping our teens safe and alcohol-free?