Tag Archives: alcohol

Erin Cox

A little over 2 weeks ago, Erin Cox got a phone call from one of her friends to ask Erin if she could give her a ride home, since the friend was too drunk to drive.  Erin agreed, thinking that she was doing her friend a favor and keeping her out of trouble.  However, just minutes after Miss Cox went inside to find her schoolmate, the police entered and accused some of the group of underage drinking.  Even though the police proved that the honor student (Erin) had not been drinking and had no contact with alcohol or drugs, her school still demoted her from volleyball team captain and benched her for the next five games.  Once she got home, she was devastated, and many of her friends and family members are trying to get the school to reverse its punishment given to an innocent girl.

I think that North Andover High School should revoke Erin’s punishment, because she was just trying to do what was right and help her friend.  The school said that they have a very strict rule on alcohol and drug abuse, but I think if it includes punishing a perfectly innocent girl for trying to help, it’s much too strict.  Would they rather have the drunk friend try to drive and end up killing someone?  Honestly, they should rethink their decision.  After all, aren’t the counselors always telling us to help out our friends and make the right decision, even if it’s persecuted?  They should not ever be the ones making the worse choice, especially when almost everyone who has heard about the situation has agreed with the Cox family.  If you were attempting to do something good and got one of the worst punishments the school could give you as a prize, don’t you think that would be unjustifiable? (Hint: the answer is yes.)

~Stephanie

Think Before you Drink

2 million. The number of drunk drivers at any given time. Most people enjoy a little drink from time to time and there is nothing wrong with this. But, did you know that almost one in seven of all deaths on the road involve drivers who are over the current legal limit? The more you drink, the higher the risk to be involved in a road accident. Alcohol influences your driving even if it’s ingested in small quantities.  In fact, if you drink and drive (with a blood alcohol level over 80mg per 100ml) you are three times more likely to be involved in a crash than a sober driver. There are things people miss on the road because they are not paying full attention, there are stop signs missed causing accidents, and many drivers are unlikely to be able to act quickly in intense situations such as swerving to avoid a collision. Alcohol is also a depressant, which can cause drowsiness, leading to higher risk for accidents. If people want to avoid accidents, it looks like people have to choose: drinking or driving?!

MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is an association to raise awareness about drunk driving.  “The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking.” They stress that people should always take caution when on the road because many lives can be risked. Many people help continue this organization by raising fundraisers and just spreading the word. My uncle was a victim of a drunk driver, making it even more of a reason that I should spread awareness.

~Saige Bingman