It’s the time of the year when many young people will be celebrating their own graduation, or that of friends. For some, it’s the end of their formal education, while for others, they are a step closer to their goal.  In any case, it’s probably a time for partying.

While we’re doing a much better job as adults at convincing teenagers that drinking and driving are deadly combinations, we still have a long way to go. Most of us know all too well that when we were younger, we didn’t really understand how little alcohol it took to alter our thinking and our ability for our bodies to function at our usual level. We were sure a couple of drinks would make no difference in our demeanor whatsoever and would have no real effect on our capabilities behind the wheel of a car.

Maine, and no doubt every other state, has experienced the tragic loss of young people (and those not so young) at graduation time. Preach as we may about the consequencess of drinking, much of what we say falls on deaf ears, although, again, it appears more and more young folks are getting the message. Making matters even worse is that we are now dealing with drugs, a whole new ball game for many parents who have never experienced any of today’s more common drug usage and can only urge their children to refrain from the temptation to experiment.

Have another talk with anyone in your family who may be tempted to celebrate in a dangerous way and also stress the importance of not getting in a car with an impaired driver. We want graduation time to be filled with happy memories for everyone.