Showing posts with label minor in possession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label minor in possession. Show all posts

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Why I Had to Do Alcohol Awareness Classes

A few months ago I was at a party with some friends. I am of age to buy alcohol in the United States so I went by a grocery store and picked up several cases of beer to share with others at the party. There were a lot of people and we were all having a really good time.

Then the police officers showed up at the door. We figured it was just for a noise complaint but I guess there were underage drinkers at the party. The police officers had seen me walking in with the beer so they assumed I provided it to the underage drinkers.

If I had known there were underage kids there, I would never have gone to the party. I had to go to court and was convicted of supplying minors with alcohol. I was ordered to take and level 3 online alcohol education course as part of my sentence. Now I know better.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

A Minor in Possession Class for My Son

When I caught my son smoking a joint in his bedroom, I wasn't sure what to do. It almost seemed like he wanted to get caught because he didn't even try to hide it very well. I tried to talk with him but he put up walls and was very shut down. I knew if we did not get to the bottom of this right then and there, that it would only lead to more destructive behavior.

I had been reading about a minor in possession class that is usually court ordered when a child is caught by the authorities, but it did not mean that it was only reserved for those kids. I decided to give my son an ultimatum. He could take those classes online and learn about the destructive path he is going down, or he would have to quit the soccer team.

He lives for soccer and agreed to take the class. He came to me and said that he learned a lot, and those walls between us, are slowly coming down.

Monday, March 11, 2013

I Need a MIP Class for My Son

My son was just caught with some beer last night and was charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol. Now, he will have to to to court in a week and whatever else that follows.

I am very disappointed and upset with him. He needs to take a class because he won't listen to me and he is making poor decisions. The school counselor recommended a good online minor in possession class. He believes taking a class will make him "look better" in court, but I am afraid he is trying to manipulate the situation rather than becoming more aware of his behavior.

It is important that my son learns that underage drinking is against the law even if his friends are doing it. Punishing him hasn't done much so now he must face the legal system and he is responsible for all costs associated with this. I did not raise him to break the law.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Alcohol Awareness Class Helped My Son

I'm ashamed to admit that my 18 year old son was recently caught drinking and driving. Not only was he caught driving while under the influence, he's also too young to be drinking legally. I was so distraught at first, that I truly didn't know what to do.

I was angry because I had taught him all about the dangers of drinking and driving and hoped he wouldn't be drinking until he turned 21. Thankfully, the court ordered him to take an alcohol awareness class, and to my surprise, it really hit home. It opened his eyes to how many deaths are caused per year by people who drink and get behind the wheel of a car. He stopped feeling invincible and awoke to how lucky he was that he didn't get hurt.

He is truly ashamed of what he did, and I am pretty convinced that he will never drink and drive again. I am grateful the online class he took helped him learn an important lesson. He's my son and I'll always love him, but he did a very bad and dangerous thing.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Watch Your Kids Closely when They Are out to Party

My son just returned from his first minor in possession or MIP class. Three weeks ago he was caught at a party with an open alcohol container. He was charged with minor in possession of alcohol. As a result there were fines that I have to pay and my son had to agree to take an online alcohol class.

The point of the class is to inform and educate minors about the risks of using alcohol at a young age, and it also speaks to the legality of drinking alcohol under the age of 21. I do not condone my son drinking so I will have to keep a close eye on him from now on. It is the least of my responsibilities as a parent to know what he is up to. He now knows that I can "spot check" on him at anytime - this means that I will randomly show up to where he says he is going to be and see what he is doing. We both agreed that this annoying intrusion of his privacy is a result of him not making wiser and more responsible decisions.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

I Need a MIP Class for My Child

As a parent of four teen boys, I expected that sooner or later one of them would get into some type of trouble. I was not prepared, however, to have two of the boys get caught with beer in their trunk. Thank goodness they were not drinking and driving but just having the beer was enough to get them arrested.

My husband and I decided to let them stew overnight in jail. Then, I gave him the privilege of bonding them out. Now, that most of the experience is behind us, they have been ordered to participate in alcohol classes and do some community service to pay back their fines. We found a minor in possession class online. After consulting with the judge and their probation officer, it was agreed that these classes would satisfy the requirement.

I took the class with them for information's sake and found it to be highly educational. The boys have finished and are now off the hook with the legal community. However, now that we are better educated, we will  continue discussing this matter openly at home.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Taking My Alcohol Classes Online

Everyone has their moments of weakness and shame. One of mine in the last few years was that I got in trouble for alcohol possession. I was a minor at the time, so to get busted by the cops really complicated my life. It did make me think about things in the long run which is good. Drinking isn't a joke. You could end up behind the wheel of a car and seriously hurting someone or yourself.

I'm glad they allowed me to take my alcohol classes online. It satisfied the court requirements, which was a big help. Taking a class in person would have caused me interfered with my job and college courses.  It's great that out of all this at least they didn't want to ruin my life. They just wanted to help me by teaching me about my behavior and decisions. It's strange but now I can see more clearly how much I was drinking and how much denial I was in.

I don't know if this was one of those those times when you feel grateful for a terrible situation, but being caught, despite how humiliating it was, feels like it has seriously changed my path and I am a better person as a result.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

He Got Caught Now He Has to Take a Drug Alcohol Class

I have a son in high school who like a lot of high school boys is testing his boundaries and seeing what he can get away with. Last week was a holiday party and he decided that he was going to throw a party at a local hotel.

When the party was broken up by the police, he got a citation for being under age and under the influence of alcohol. The citation came with a pretty hefty fine for someone with no income. It also requires him to attend an alcohol awareness class over two weekends of the month.

I am glad this happened and think it will be a good experience for him. He needs to learn that there are consequences for his actions and that when you make poor decisions you will get poor results. He is really upset about the whole situation but mostly, he is embarrassed. I suggested he take an online alcohol class for privacy but also so he could start immediately.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Alcohol Classes or Banning Booze on Campus?


This is the sixth in a series of blogs looking at the problem of binge drinking on college campuses. As a counselor for both in-class and online alcohol classes I have many college students attending our alcohol classes. Some are them are in class for minor in possession (MIP) violations, while others have incurred driving under the influence (DUI) or other alcohol-related problems.

Every one of these students attest to the fact that binge drinking is rampant on campus. So the question begs to be asked: what should be done? Should college campuses be dry? Should alcohol awareness classes be mandatory for incoming freshmen?

We know that adolescents have been given the clear message that alcohol consumption is not healthy. So, what is the motivation for a student to drink unsafe amounts of alcohol despite knowledge of its harmful effects?

There are a lot of alcohol education programs in the U.S., additionally there are even online alcohol classes available to this tech savvy generation. Students know that binge drinking is high risk behavior that drastically increases the possibility of harmful consequences such as sexual assault, violence, drunk driving, and future alcohol dependency. If those are not frightening enough how about the fact that for most, alcohol consumption is illegal!

These students know the risks and how they can get in trouble with school authorities and the law. So why do they they persist in binge drinking anyway? That will be the subject of the next entry into this blog series.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

What to Do When Your Teenager Drinks

Among the many nightmares that parents encounter is catching your teenager has been drinking. This might have happened when you smell alcohol on their breath after they came home from a date. Or possibly it's actually catching them drinking at a party, or in your basement Sometimes another mother or father will contact you saying they caught your teen drinking with theirs. It could even be the horrible situation where you are contacted by the police who have captured your kids drinking, or even worse drinkingand driving. When you learn that your child has been drinking it can elicit several distinct responses. Some teen parents are afraid and confused. "How could Bobby have started consuming alcohol? I thought this was a nurturing home". Others are indignant. "I TOLD Will what would happen to him if I found him with alcohol!" And others encounter denial. "It must be Tammy's friends. They're the ones at fault!"

But irrespective of the reaction, once you find out that your child is a drinker it's time to put being afraid, indignant, or acting as if it isn't happening away and start working on with the issue. The first action is to develop a plan. The plan is composed of 3 different parts: when, what and follow-through.

When

The when means that you act once your plan is determined AND you are ready to confront them. You don't want to have your confrontation with your teen when your emotions are out of control. It is crucial you deal with them in a rational manner. The same goes for their state of mind. Don't deal with them if they are drunk or high. Wait until they sleep it off. After you wait their emotional reaction will be something you can deal with.

But although you do want to wait for the "right moment" to speak to your teen, you also shouldn't wait too long. You ought to plan on having your dialogue with them within 1 day of your finding out.

What

Your next task is to create your plan of what you are going to say and do. In general this should fall in the following categories:
  • Letting them know the rules and penalties of drinking. Particularly tell him or her the consequences they face today and the punishments they will receive if they break the new rules. For example, if the punishment is taking away the cell phone for 6 months you might tell them that if they do it again will add an additional 3 months to the losing their phone.
  • Telling them that they are going to be carefully monitored. Frequent calls, stricter curfew restrictions, a GPS tracker on their auto and drug testing are all potential ways to more strictly monitor their activities.
  • Tell them the help they are going to receive for their drinking problem. This may perhaps include one-on-one or group counseling. This can include a minor in possession class or minor in consumption class. Or perhaps visiting your church's pastor. Make sure they know this aspect isn't about punishment but about understanding the problem and helping to learn how to prevent it in the future.
  • Telling them there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Tell them that you love them and this isn't a everlasting black mark on their record. If things go well you can once again have a joyful close family.

Follow Through

Finally, you need to plan your long-term goals What I mean is to make sure all you tell your child is something you are going to really do. Make sure you follow through on your steps once you tell them. And if you feel you need support, perhaps counseling such as an alcohol class will help.Parents need support to deal with hard circumstances such as these.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Colorado Minor in Possession Classes

Online Alcohol Class offers the most comprehensive Colorado underage consumption course available. We offer Level 1 (8 hour), Level 2 (16 hour), and Level 3 (24 hour) web-based Minor in Possession and Minor in Consumption Courses. These are suitable for anybody located in: