High school athletes are more likely to drink underage

Today's article in USA Today entitled, "Website warns athletes that alcohol can lead to prison, death" is a good reminder about the dangers of underage drinking. The article describes how the New Mexico Activities Association is launching a website (lifeofanathlete.com) to remind high school athletes about the dangers of alcohol abuse. On the website, the story of Gabe Gurule is told. Gabe, a former three-sport athlete at an Albuquerque high school who was being recruited by several Big 12 schools, drove drunk on Thanksgiving 2005 and killed three innocent people. He's now spending his time in the Central NM Correctional Facility in Los Lunas.

Perhaps the most telling part of the article is to point out that the program stresses to high school athletes that even occasional alcohol use can have an impact. They say, "A single night of partying, according to the American Athletic Institute, can undo two weeks of training. It can also have more serious results." Gabe proved that.

For parents of high school athletes (or even non-athletes), this is a good reminder of why we must continually talk with our teens. Please start the conversation if you haven't already. It may be your teen you prevent from becoming a victim or a prisoner in a correctional facility.

Bill Belichick's son arrested on underage drinking charge

The son of Patriots coach Bill Belichick was arrested for underage possession of alcohol on Monday.

Brian Belichick, 17, was picked up by police outside Gillette Stadium during the NCAA lacrosse championships on Monday

Parents Jailed for Hosting Underage Drinking Party, Son Kills Two

WTEN in Albany, New York is reporting that the parents of a boy who killed two teens while driving drunk are now behind bars.

They were convicted of serving beer to underaged kids partying at their home last April. Folowing the party, their son was driving while intoxicated when his car crashed, killing two passengers.

Parents take note. Letting your kid drink at home isn't the answer. Be a parent and take alcohol out of the equation.

After His Son Danny’s Death, Caused by an Underage Drunk Driver, Former New Jersey Mayor Bob Nulman Dedicated His Time to Eliminating Drunk Driving

When Bob Nulman was mayor of Clinton, New Jersey, he figured the police chief and police commissioner knocking on his door were there on city business. Instead, he was devastated to learn that his 22 year-old son, Danny, and four fraternity brothers from Trenton State College had been killed by an underage drunk driver in an I-95 head-on collision.

Read Danny Nulman's story.

Underage Drinking Crash Devastates Community

Underage drinking led a teenager to plow his Jeep Wrangler full of five teenagers into a tree during the 2005 Labor Day Weekend, instantly killing two 16-year-olds seated in the back seat.

One of the teenagers killed was Zachary Ondrish, who had just begun his junior year at Westminster High School the previous week. He was a wrestler on the school’s team and the second oldest of seven children. Loved by young and old alike, kids still gather and leave things for Zach at the crash site on his birthday and the anniversary of the crash.

Read Zach's story.

12-Year-Old Arkansas Boy Faces Drunken-Driving Charge

An Arkansas preteen faces a drunken-driving charge after he and a friend drank his parents' beer and crashed his stepfather's pickup truck. The county prosecutor said that he will charge the 12-year-old boy with drunken driving and several other misdemeanor charges.

Read the complete story from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.