GUEST COLUMNIST | Alcohol and water don’t mix, especially underage

By Rebecca Smith

As summer continues to heat up, families and friends will be spending more time in the water for some fun and relief from the heat.
However, a whopping 70 percent of water recreation deaths of teens and adults involve the use of alcohol, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA).
“Alcohol impairs judgment and increases risk-taking, a dangerous combination for swimmers,” reads the website. “Even experienced swimmers may venture out farther than they should and not be able to make it back to shore, or they may not notice how chilled they’re getting and develop hypothermia … Even around a pool, too much alcohol can have deadly consequences. Inebriated divers may collide with the diving board, or dive where the water is too shallow.”
Teens are already known for their risk-taking behavior, because the part of their brain that assesses risk — the prefrontal cortex — hasn’t finished developing (that, and the fact that alcohol effects teen’s brain development is why the legal drinking age is set at 21). Add alcohol and water into the equation, combined with their risk-taking tendencies, and the effects can be devastating.
Alcohol may be involved in 60 percent of boating fatalities, according to NIAA, and a boat operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) more than 0.1 percent (about 4 to 5 drinks) is 16 times more likely to be killed than someone who hadn’t been drinking.
According to the Coast Guard, alcohol is the No. 1 contributing factor in recreational boating deaths.
There are a lot of things to think about when you are operating a boat that you don’t have to think about when operating a car, the Coast Guard blog points out.
“How deep is the water? Are there submerged dangers like rocks or trees? How big are the waves and what direction are they coming from? Waterways aren’t marked by lanes, signs and street lights the same way that roads are and most boats don’t have headlights,” the blog reads. “Operating a boat is challenging enough while sober. Adding alcohol only makes it more difficult and dangerous. Exposure to sun, wind, rain, noise, vibration and motion – ‘stressors’ common to the boating environment – intensify the side effects of alcohol, drugs, and some medications.”
In Texas in 2013, there were 206 boating accidents, 209 cases of boating while intoxicated, 85 injuries and 22 fatalities, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.
“A person who either appears to be impaired and/or has a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher while operating a boat can be arrested for BWI,” according to Texas Parks and Wildlife website. “A person arrested for BWI may be jailed for up to 180 days, be fined as much as $2,000 or both. Additionally, the person’s drivers’ license may be automatically suspended.”
Be safe and smart this summer. 
Talk to your teens about the dangers of drinking, and especially drinking near the water. 

Rebecca Smith is a certified prevention specialist and coalition coordinator for the Northeast Texas Coalition Against Substance Abuse, a program of Next Step Community Solutions.