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Beer Pressure
By Donn Vorisek
Your parents are away, and an impromptu party gets rowdy. Out of nowhere Joey hands you a beer and says, “Let’s get this party started.”
Wow! You didn’t see that coming. What do you do? Welcome to “beer pressure,” the devilish associate of peer pressure.
In a split second you bow to “beer pressure” and accept the beer. After all, Joey is cool, and cool is a good thing. You’re confident you can handle it. You handle it so well you have several more and quickly transform into a circus clown act audition. The chimes of the doorbell suggest more friends have arrived. You shamefully stagger to the entry-way, prepared to be a one-person welcoming committee. When you open the door with your beer clutched firmly in hand, you’re not greeted by friends at all, but by your local police.
With any decision made in haste, there are consequences. As a court clerk, I know “beer pressure” decisions are no different.
With the arrival of the police, you’ve assured yourself some quality bonding time with your parents, who will be called to your rescue. The police will issue a “must appear” citation for you and your parents in court. Expect that “beer pressure” decision to rob you of your money and time. For a first offense the judge will impose a fine between $100 and $300, plus court fees. You can plan on attending a four-week minor in possession (MIP) substance abuse class ($80) and, for good measure, donating 20 hours of your time to community service. Your parents will gleefully dance in the kitchen when they learn that they’ll be your chauffeur when the court confiscates your driver’s license for 30 days.
Will one night of “beer pressure” consumption ruin your life? Gener-ally no, but from my court clerk experience, it happens all too often.
You might be sick of hearing that it’s simply illegal to drink beer before you are 21 years old. Well, true, but that argument is weak; it implies that after you turn 21 it’s fine to ruin your health and your life. What isn’t weak is the medical hardship of long-term beer consumption, such as liver failure, blood-clotting problems, fattening of one’s beer belly, mental instability, poor nutrition, and poor balance, to name just a few. Furthermore, there are family problems for those who continue to indulge, such as losing employment or loved ones from divorce.
Then there is the issue of drinking and driving. Before you buckle up for safety, consider the term
blood alcohol level. After the police introduce themselves, they let you blow into a tube that measures the amount of alcohol content in your bloodstream. In most states, a measurement of .08 alcohol level, about five 12-ounce cans of beer over a two-hour time frame for a 140-pound person, will earn you a trip to jail. After a photo shoot, your parents are called, a court date is reserved and, the penalties stiffen. Fines for what is referred to as a baby DUI (first offense) range up to $500 plus court fees. Additional costs, besides your time, include a $200 ACT (assessment course treatment) class, a chemical dependency evaluation, and $200 for a probationary driver’s license. You’ll likely be required to attend traffic school ($60), but will be excused from the 24 hours jail time because you’re still a juvenile. Oh, and by the way, your parents’ car insurance will skyrocket. Please note that the penalties and fines quoted throughout apply to Montana, but similar embarrassing penalties apply nationwide.
Should you be faced with a “beer pressure” situation, we encourage you to recall the popular phrase “just say no.” If the need to fit in seems overwhelming, there are other avenues. Start with a chat with your parents. If that just seems too weird, talk to a trusted educator whom you respect at school. Visit a youth minister at a local church. There are also ample opportunities to get involved, with a job, sports, or volunteering in your community so that the consequences of a “beer pressure” decision do not cost you either financially, or with your well-being in life. Sure, you want to fit in with your friends, but fitting in should mean fitting in with your own comfort level and values. Be true to yourself, know the facts, and make the right decision for the right reasons. Be a kid as long as you can, because the adult world comes on all too fast.
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