In summer, teens have more time on their hands. There are many things that they do including playing a sport, or hanging out with their friends. Unfortunately, there are two more alternatives - alcohol and drug abuse. Alcohol and drugs are in every town, and are accessible to teens.

One reason teens turn to alcohol and drugs is boredom. They have nothing better to do but get wasted. Teens drink to get drunk. What does this say about our society, and the parents as authority figures? They have no control over their kids.

Some parents are sick and tired of seeing teens throw their lives away. The parents of Chatham, Massachusetts built a skateboard park for the kids in the parking lot of the town's middle school. As a result, kids appear to be keeping out of trouble. There is only one downside: the neighbors are complaining about the noise. Because of this, a roller hockey rink is being built near the high school.

I am bringing this up to help find alternative solutions to teen alcohol and drug abuse. One solution would be to increase the number of parents who are active in their child's life. Parents should encourage their child to do things they enjoy, like a sport, or try new sports.

It is obvious that many school programs that teach the dangers of alcohol and drugs do not work for the most part. Kids do not want to listen to adults or authority figures. Teens basically follow what their popular peers do. As a result, more and more teens are turning to drugs and alcohol to be accepted by their peers.

Parents should take a more active role in their child's life. Many teens say that they get the message better if their parents talk to them alone, not in a bunch of 25 kids in a classroom. They say this is true because they can ask questions about alcohol and drugs that they might be embarrassed to ask in a classroom.?