This week on Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Under Age and Over the Line
Often, I give presentations at high schools, and I’m always presenting about the law. I feel somewhat conflicted in some respects. I think perhaps I should speak about the perils of drinking, the dangers of underage alcohol consumption, or the risks associated with alcoholism. Then again, I would feel like a bit of a hypocrite because firstly, I’m part owner of a distillery and, even though I drank quite a bit when I was young, I’ve succeeded in many of my endeavors in life.
Then this article showed up in my feed suggesting that people who are binge drinkers when they’re young are often more successful later in life. That threw a wrench into the works. This week on weird and wacky Wednesdays, we’re looking at a few stories where youthful drinking got people in hot water and my hope is to reconcile my feelings.
Graveyard Drinking Supply Line
A council in Angus, Scotland issued a warning after discovering that teenagers were stealing bottles of alcohol left on graves as tributes. Families leave a favourite drink for a loved one. Teens come along at night, collect the bottles, and use the cemetery as their own off hours liquor store. Police increased patrols and asked families to think twice about leaving bottles behind.
It is one of the most unexpected supply chains for under age drinking you will ever see. A solemn place turned into a scavenger hunt. But seriously, did they think the dead would arise for a quick nip?
Locked In After the Night Out
A nineteen year old in the UK celebrated a friend’s eighteenth birthday at a club. She drank heavily, went to the bathroom, and fell asleep in the stall. Staff locked up for the night without noticing her. She woke up at eight thirty in the morning. The alarm went off. Her phone died. She wandered out on camera like someone trying to escape a maze. She posted the whole thing on TikTok and it racked up more than a million views.
There is something very funny about a person surfacing from a blackout to discover that the nightclub is now her personal apartment. A strange comedy of errors. She was fine and faced no break and enter charges, seeing as she entered lawfully.
The Halloween House Party With Admission Fees
Police in Long Island responded to a Halloween party that drew hundreds of teenagers. Many were under age. They paid an entry fee to get inside the house. The homeowners set up tents and portable toilets. Officers found teens vomiting in the yard and two sixteen year old girls were treated for apparent alcohol poisoning.
The homeowners are now facing criminal charges for allowing the under age drinking. Authorities take under-age drinking facilitated by adults very seriously. On the one hand, as a parent, you are thinking to yourself that you will provide a safe space for these kids who are likely to drink anyway. On the other hand, you may end up with a prison sentence. And a longer prison sentence if some kids get sick.
Reconciling my feeling on a Wednesday
Underage drinking feels like it’s part of growing up and part of our culture. The teen that’s still inside me can remember the feeling of rebellion and excitement of breaking the rules. The grown-up lawyer part of me needs to remind you that facilitating underage drinking will get you in a heap of trouble. Is youthful drinking the key to success in life? We were always taught that it is good grades in math that gets you ahead.
I can’t say I truly believed that.
