MADD Teen Influencer
November 2025
When it comes to drinking events like Blackout Wednesday, people rationalize that it’s appropriate to binge drink. People think that this type of drinking is OK since it’s not chronic, which minimizes its danger. Binge drinking and addiction don’t automatically go together, but the more someone justifies problematic drinking, the easier it is to develop an alcohol-use disorder later. According to research by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, people who start drinking before the age of 15 are 5.6 times more likely to have an alcohol addiction later in life than those who wait until the age of 21 or later to begin drinking.
It has become such a widespread issue that local police nationwide have begun ramping up efforts with DUI checkpoints. In California, for example, the California Highway Patrol will activate its annual Thanksgiving Maximum Enforcement Period, which will run from 6:01 p.m. Wednesday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
“Thanksgiving is a time for families and tradition, and each of us can do our part to prevent these 100 percent preventable tragedies,” said MADD's former National President Colleen Sheehey-Church, whose 18-year-old son Dustin was killed in a teen drunk and drugged crash. If you have young people in your life, like younger siblings, talk to them about drinking alcohol. If they are under the age of 21, make sure they understand that it is illegal for them to drink alcohol. Teach them that any alcohol is off limits to them and to their friends.
This Thanksgiving, I will be returning home to see old classmates and family. In place of alcohol at parties, my friends are planning to open up their homes for a game, pizza, or movie night. Going out for a round of mini-golf, to the movies, or bowling is a fun and safe alternative to Blackout Wednesday. Give yourself permission to have fun, relax, and reconnect with old friends, but in a space to hang out in an alcohol-free environment.
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