The Risks of Spring Break

Newsradio 740 KTRH ^ | March 17, 2008 | KTRH's August Skamenca

[Newsradio 740 KTRH]

Spring break has turned violent and deadly in unrelated incidents on Galveston Island.

A 16-year-old girl from Deer Park drowned amid strong winds and currents. Elsewhere, a number of fights capped a concert on East Beach. A dozen were arrested.

At spring break destinations everywhere, these scenes are often repeated. Yet psychologist Laurence Abrams says teens are just trying to enjoy themselves and the alcohol, sex and trouble tend to come with that.

"They're not trying to hurt themselves. They're trying to have fun. Sometimes they make mistakes, as we all do. I'm not in favor of it. Don't misunderstand me. I just think it’s become an issue that when you go you're expected to do this. It’s become the norm," Abrams said.

He stops short of calling Spring Break revelry a rite of passage but says having fun is "programmed in to us." Sadly, sometimes that fun takes and awful turn.

[flowerplough]

A couple years back, I had one daughter in the Guard in Iraq and one attending our state university. I worried just as much about alcohol and the girl in college as I did about IEDs and the girl in Iraq.

[TriGirl]

The weather is bad the first part of the week here is TX and no one should be in the water, per forecast for Galveston. My husbands and I last night were guessing how many kids are going to drown this week....

[devane617]

Oh to be 19 again...Alcohol, drugs, sex, fights, trouble.

[Balding_Eagle]

psychologist Laurence Abrams says teens are just trying to enjoy themselves

At least his education wasn't wasted.

[Always Right]

Oh the annual event, where kids come from all over the country to spread their STD’s to other schools.

[Izzy Dunne]

Don't you wish YOU had a Ph.D., so you could reach these same conclusions!

;->

[HIDEK6]

Sometimes they make mistakes, as we all do.

Please speak for yourself.

[Vaquero]

Birds Gotta Fly....

....Fish Gotta Fry...

Archie Bunker

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

The wind yesterday was horrible! My daughter is home on spring break and said she must have brought the wind with her from Lubbock!

[Tax-chick]

Nobody drowns in the ocean except during Spring Break, obviously.

[Revelation 911]

Oh to be 19 again...Alcohol, drugs, sex, fights, trouble.

wow - they sure do multi task - I was only able to drink and get in trouble 30 yrs ago

[RC2]

No I don’t. Not if it means this. I also went on spring break when a kid. Things have changed today........we didn’t get in trouble like the kids do today. That was back in the 50’s.

[WayneS]

Wow. Most bigamists/polygamists are men.

Just out of curiosity, how many husbands do you have?

;^)

[SouthTexas]

We multi tasked too, sex drugs and rock and roll (alcohol included in the drug catagory).

Fights yes, shooting each other - no.

[deuteronlmy232]

Why did you let them go?

[deuteronlmy232]

The wind yesterday was horrible! My daughter is home on spring break and said she must have brought the wind with her from Lubbock!

Good girl, home is where a kid should be for spring break. You msut ahve done something right.

[peggybac]

My 15 year old niece is spending her spring break with me and she hasn’t been here 24 hours and I’ve learned: She thinks gay marriage is OK, we didn’t do enough to help out in New Orleans, her school bans everything Christmas and homeschooling produces dumb kids. I am trying to enlighten her but the gubmint school has obviously gotten to her.

It’s going to be a long week.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

She's a senior and has NEVER gone to some spring break party town! We've gone as a family on several great trips, including the Gator Bowl this past January, but she's too smart to even consider some wild dangerous situation like Padre Island or Southern Florida for spring break.

Thanks though - she's a smart girl but I'll be happy to take the compliment!

[varyouga]

It’s only dangerous if you make it dangerous.

I did 3 spring breaks in South Florida and it’s much calmer than the media makes it look. Nothing happened to me or anyone we know. I go down there often and hardly noticed any difference during spring break.

I think most of the crazy stuff happens in other countries where alcohol is legal for teens and heavy drinking is allowed on the beach.

Yes, it’s a bad idea for a girl in a Bikini to roam into a beach full of drunk guys. Especially if she’s drunk also. Any girl with half a brain knows this.

Dumb girls do it on purpose because they like the attention, not because guys are forcing them to.