Penn State Freshman Joe Dado died this weekend following a frat party in Philadelphia. He was 18. It appears that a very intoxicated Dado lost his balance in a stairwell on his way home and fell 15 feet to his death. This is a very sad, unnecessary, and unfortunate loss. My thoughts go out to his family and friends. Teen binge drinking is largely looked upon as a rite of passage in this country, but tragedies such as these shine light on the very unfortunate outcomes that can occur. Teen binge drinking is a serious issue, and may lead to more problems down the road. It can be difficult to decipher between “normal” experimentation and problem drinking, but binge drinking may be a red flag indicating bigger underlying problems. The inability to stop drinking once I started was one of the big clues I had a problem. I didn’t drink every day, and could go quite a while without it, but I thought about it all the time. And when I did drink, I always blacked out or came to the next morning with big consequences. Knowing what’s going on in your teen’s life may help parents to keep an eye out for their teen. Teens know they shouldn’t drink and drive, but I know I never considered I might fall to my death when I was drinking. Binge drinking is a serious issue, with potentially deadly consequences. If you think that your teen may have a problem with binge drinking, don’t hesitate to contact us today for adolescent drug and alcohol treatment .
Originally posted on September 23, 2009 @ 5:32 am
