As a parent of four one of our worst fears were teens drinking and driving.  In a New York Times article called “When Teens Drink, Avoiding the Risks From Driving” Dr Perri Klass writes about a recent study from February in the Journal Pediatrics that 28% of motor vehicle crashes with drivers under 20 years old, were alcohol-related.  The study also found that in states with more restrictive substance use policies reported fatalities.

Dr Klass goes on to write, “Every parent of every adolescent, I would bet, at some point lies awake and worries about the mixing of alcohol and driving, whether you're worried about your child drinking, or about someone else's driving, or even about the danger of someone in another car altogether. We know this is a toxic and often fatal mixture, even when the driver is over 21.”

He continues, “We also know that it's one of the places where you come across the basic necessities of parental guidance: you have to tell your children what not to do (go to parties where alcohol is illegally served to minors, binge drink or hang out with binge drinkers) and then you have to tell them what to do when they have broken the rules you set.”

Our goal with Gobi is to help teens think about their using and as a result, use less.  We also help re-spark the communication between teens and families so that the above conversation about driving can be had and heard in a loving and respectful manner