It’s so easy as a “boring adult” to see the mistakes, train wrecks and tragedies of youth as easily avoided. Sadly they aren’t!  Our sadness for James and his family makes us think:  What wouldn’t we do to stop similar events? The trouble so often is we so value freedom that we humans rarely like any constraints put on us – adults or teenagers.  The debaters of the legal age of drinking so often say that we let people defend our country and drive a car and even get married at younger ages why not let them drink alcohol?

The truth, however we package it, is that young people so often do not know what many of us have learnt the hard way.  Unfortunately sometimes the hard way for them is way too hard.

Adolescence is commonly described as a period of increased impulsiveness and risk-taking behaviour. It is the time when we learn new skills almost daily and perfect others – tasks like driving not only require quite significant hand-eye coordination and visuospatial distinction but they also require a sense of the real risks associated with manoeuvring a half ton weapon (the car) at high speeds.

Alcohol is a drug which increases impulsiveness and encourages risk taking.  That is why it should not be in the hands of those who are least likely to cope with it.  initially it affects us by making us less self conscious and more outgoing.  As a teenager that is quite often exactly the desired effect – fun, a good time, a few laughs, forging a position of some distinction in the group of one’s peers – these all seem like worthwhile uses for alcohol to the initiate.  If a couple of drinks can achieve that – then the argumentation goes – how much more is possible with twice that amount, or for that matter ten times that amount.  Alcohol at that level makes us unconscious.

There is a whole other level of responsibility that adults, lawmakers, teachers, parents and caregivers are required to exercise to protect the young and the vulnerable.  Rights yes, and responsibilities too.

Lord we ask you to care for James and his parents now in their time of greatest need.  May the love they have for each other be the love that sustains them.  May James’s life and death help other young people to see how fragile is the gift of life.  May those who make our laws always keep in mind their need to protect the vulnerable.

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