LETTERS: PARENTS: HELP TEENS FACE LURE OF ALCOHOL

To the editor:

One of the greatest gifts we can give to our children is the gift of being their parent and not their friend. Being a parent means setting limits, stating the consequences if the child oversteps the boundaries and following through with the consequences.

With proms, graduations and summer parties soon approaching, many teen-agers will be faced with the choice to drink or abstain. We feel it is important for parents to be clear as to why youths under 21 should not drink at all. The Deerfield, Ill., Citizens for Drug Awareness state:

- Alcohol is illegal. Supervised drinking by parents for their children's friends is also illegal.

- Alcohol is a sedative drug which puts the brain to sleep.

- Teen-age drinking to get buzzed or drunk is a warning sign of an impending drinking problem. It takes an adolescent six months to two years to become physically addicted to alcohol. It takes an adult five to 15 years to become physically addicted to alcohol.

- Alcohol is the No. 1 cause of traffic accidents, and traffic accidents are the No. 1 cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds.

- There is a correlation between teen-age sexual activity and teen-age use of alcohol and other drugs.

- Every alcohol addiction starts with one drink. Experimenting is the first step toward addiction. Occasional use is the second step, and regular use is the third. The fourth step is dependency.

This information has been taught in the schools. Our children know this information, but they feel they are invincible. Instead of teen-agers filling their free time with drugs and alcohol, we as parents should encourage their development in the areas of coping with their problems and learning social skills.

It is important for us as parents to set the limits in a way that demonstrates our love and concern. Our rules are not intended to spoil their fun but to keep them safe and lead a higher quality of life now and in the future.

ROB MEHNER, Mr. and Mrs. STAN CRADER, Mr. and Mrs. JIM WOELTJE, the Rev. GRANT F.C. GILLARD, MARK BAKER, EASY STILSON, STEVE STILSON, JOE BISHOP, JEANNE EBAUGH, TAMME PETTET, JACK PETTET, GAIL BAINK, KEN BAINK, PAUL EBAUGH, THERESA LUMOS, DENNY LUMOS, VICKI ABERNATHY, MARTHA VENABLE, STUART VENABLE, BOBBIE VENABLE, WAYLAND and DARLA BELLER, LARRY FERRELL, LINDA FERRELL, DOYLE OEHL, JANE OEHL, WAYLAND and DARLA BELLER, FRITZ and MARSHA SANDER, MARK and CATHERINE MARTIN, PATTIE AMMON, STEVE CALDWELL, LYNDA LORENZ, LISA DALE, JANET and DOUG SANDERS, JULIE and DAVE WALKER, LESA WEISS, MITZIE JENNEWEIN, CAROLYN BRITT, PATTI JONES and DANNA LAPE.

Jackson