Finally! It\u2019s graduation season. For many students and parents, this is a day they\u2019ve been waiting for their entire lives. They\u2019re finally putting high school behind themselves once and for all and allowing themselves to focus on the future.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re a graduating senior or someone who just likes to hang out with a group of senior friends, remember that while you\u2019re allowed to have a good time and enjoy life, you aren\u2019t legally allowed to consume alcohol in California<\/em>. The fact that you\u2019ve graduated from high school doesn\u2019t matter. In California<\/em>, you\u2019re not allowed to drink until you turn 21. Getting caught consuming alcohol at a graduation party<\/a> prior to your 21st birthday can have an immediate negative impact on your future.<\/p>\n One of the first things you need to realize is that you don\u2019t have to be caught actually drinking in order to get into trouble for consuming alcohol when you\u2019re still underage. If you\u2019re surrounded by beer bottles, have a drink in your hand, or simply drank a little bit, you\u2019re still going to be in trouble with the law. California has a zero-tolerance<\/em> policy when it comes to minors and drinking. <\/p>\n The consequences of getting caught drinking at a graduation party<\/em> while you\u2019re a minor are both scary and expensive. In most cases, the judges will order you to pay fines and do substantial community service. In some situations, especially if this isn\u2019t the first time you\u2019ve been caught drinking while still a minor, the judge will decide that you should spend some time in jail.<\/p>\n You\u2019re bad decision to drink at a friend\u2019s graduation party even though you were a minor will likely result in you losing your driving privileges for a time. It doesn\u2019t matter that you were smart enough to avoid driving after you were drinking. If you\u2019re caught buying alcohol, using a fake ID to get alcohol, or being in possession of alcohol, your driver\u2019s license will likely be suspended. Not only does this mean you have to beg for a ride whenever you want to hang out with friends, but it also makes getting a summer job more difficult. When you are finally able to drive again, you\u2019ll likely have to pay a significantly higher insurance premium.<\/p>\n An increasing number of colleges are starting to crack down on minors who get caught with alcohol. There have even been reports of scholarships being withdrawn and application approvals getting rescinded. <\/p>\n Considering the long-term<\/em> impact a single drink can have on your future, it\u2019s in your best interest to avoid alcohol this year while you\u2019re celebrating graduations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Finally! It\u2019s graduation season. For many students and parents, this is a day they\u2019ve been waiting for their entire lives. They\u2019re finally putting high school behind themselves once and for all and allowing themselves to focus on the future. If you\u2019re a graduating senior or someone who just likes to hang out with a group […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1585,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,43,35,31,32],"tags":[560,1117,1118,1119,1120,422],"class_list":["post-1584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bakersfield-ca","category-lancaster-ca","category-north-hollywood-ca","category-palmdale-ca","category-santa-clarita-ca","tag-california-laws","tag-consequences-for-underage-drinking","tag-graduation-parties-and-minors-drinking","tag-graduation-party-safety","tag-social-host-liability","tag-underage-drinking"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t