Are you worried about your teenager leaving on vacation in the right order?

WWell, it’s that ‘deep breath’ time of year again for some parents: the culmination of our unreliable Irish summer, when hordes of teenagers head to a sun-drenched Mediterranean location to celebrate the conclusion of ‘Leaving Cert’. And their parents are left at home worrying about every conceivable horror that could result in a dreaded late-night knock on the front door. It hasn’t helped that at the very moment these last-minute nervous conversations are taking place there has been the nightmare case of a 19-year-old on his first holiday without his parents (Jay Slater apparently vanished ‘into thin air’ in Tenerife) after apparently leaving a nightclub ‘worse for ‘wearing’).

I am particularly interested in this kind of scenario, not least because I have been lecturing for years to groups of parents about how their precious children can avoid ending up in hospital emergency rooms (or, God forbid, morgue rooms), especially during that annual migration south. I began this educational exercise because I believed that the best way to alleviate the perpetual overcrowding of our emergency departments is not only to expand the supply of care, but—more importantly—to reduce the demand, by educating as many parents as possible about the dangers that lurk on the road to each Departamento de Emergencia.

Today (to borrow from George Bernard Shaw), it took decades of “studied self-control, aided by the natural decline of my faculties, to make me dull enough to be accepted as a serious person.” But those who knew me when I was young will testify that I was just the kind of wandering teenager who arouses the most parental angst (in my case, that of a poor single mother, in the pre-smartphone era, worrying). where I was for days at a time, while hitchhiking from Amsterdam to Barcelona, ​​or from south Dublin to whatever party was available in Kinsale, Kerry or Leitrim).

I was also a young doctor traveling frequently to emergency departments in south Dublin. And, by the time I was becoming a young city doctor, I was a fully credentialed party animal and a hardened veteran of the sticky floors of Harcourt Street at Leeson Street, the Pink Elephant and Tamangos.

So, a heady mix of “redemption” for what I did to my late mother, who suffered so much, and considerable experience as a party animal and health care provider for party animals, continue to motivate my mission to raise awareness parents to the ever-changing list of dangers their children face abroad. And here is a summary of what every concerned parent should consider – in advance!

There are three simple steps to gaining a working knowledge of the risks that surround a teenager when he or she jets off to join the annual bacchanal from Ayia Napa to Zanthos. First, there is the prudent use of imagination. So, rather than just worrying diffusely (“Oh my God, of course anything could happen to my son/daughter!”), I suggest people keep a few “real” stories in mind.

For example, memorable holiday mishaps in 2023 involved the drunken young Irishman from Brussels who climbed onto a (freshly and expensively) restored lion statue and ripped off its tail, the young Irish rugby fan who was allegedly the victim of gang rape in Bordeaux, the wife of an Irishman who died of botulism contracted from sardines in a Bordeaux wine bar, people buying “pink cocaine” and super-potent MDMA on a picnic electric shock in County Laois, and the terrible deaths of two Irish teenagers on the Greek island of Ios. , a few hours apart. These were all real cases with real-world lessons for every parent. But, as in the case of Jay Slater, these were all relatively rare events.

It is of course important to “tame” a potentially overactive imagination when it comes to the dangers of any youth activity: in short, to balance feelings and facts. Take rugby for example. I am an avid fan and have spent a lot of time as a “doctor” looking after adult teams and teenage players, ages 13-19. Such experience ultimately provides insight into what constitutes a serious medical problem and what does not. , and – just as importantly – what to expect. As in all areas of medical practice, the novice discerns trends within (and across) the field and thus learns to anticipate the most common injuries and conditions.

In rugby, the five most common injuries are typically hamstring strains, head injuries, ankle sprains, acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) sprains and thumb fracture-dislocations. Minor injuries are also common, but – perhaps reassuringly – the most terrifying event of all, sudden cardiac arrest in a young player, affects only 1 to 3 in 100,000 athletes per year.

So yes, an automated external defibrillator (AED) needs to be readily available in every club (rugby or night club), but what is needed in most cases is a drink or a spray of cold water, a tissue to dab cuts or the nose, a scarf or bandage, some petroleum jelly and an ice pack. And, in terms of first aid, management mainly consists of stopping play, remaining calm and not making the situation worse, keeping the victim still – and in the “recovery position” if unconscious – until more specialist help arrives, etc.

Exactly the same principles apply to a bar fight in Magaluf or a medical crisis in Santa Ponsa. And when the paramedics or police arrive, they will need to know the victim's condition. allergies, medications, medical history, last meal and what happened (the “event”)). The medical checklist is AMPLE. What's also helpful is for the victim's friends to know the difference between getting help and getting help. NOW (e.g. for an inert victim, massive obvious injury or anaphylaxis) or later (e.g. the next day, for more painful injuries, or for progressive headaches or vomiting).

The second stage of awareness is adequate preparation (“do not prepare…”). This means realizing that “context is everything” when it comes to avoiding dangers or dealing with their victims. For example, when I was a child, the legendary “nightlife” of Ios took place at the top of this picturesque but barren and mountainous island, and if anyone tried to descend the steep, rocky slope at the back of the city ​​(where there is no real path access), in a hurry, in the dark and intoxicated, the results could be disastrous. Another point to keep in mind is that drunkenness is the main cause of most accidents: it often results in “irrational exuberance” (aka “Dutch courage”) which causes young people to jump from balconies in shallow pools, skinny dipping in total darkness, or walking in the blazing sun, taking pills and powders they wouldn't otherwise go near, having unsafe sex, or being victimized random attacks or sexual assault.

And preparation means knowing the “terrain” (like one would before a road trip), to see where the local waterfront or river is, the mountains, the accommodation, the social “hot spots”, the hospital, airport, etc. Preparation also means thinking about what might happen in medical terms.

“What could possibly go wrong?” is a joke these days, but it’s also the most important question to ask before a teenager heads out without their parents. And the answer is: a flare-up of an old illness like asthma, anxiety, or irritable bowel disease; destination-specific factors (from extreme heat to processionary caterpillars to moped accidents on winding roads); dietary issues, allergies, or footwear; and the sometimes tragic consequences of “irrational exuberance” (not to mention that the most dangerous creature in any vacation spot is humans).

The third step of awareness is reality.education'where parents and children check what they know about the holiday destination and what they need to know, especially about first aid, their own medical history and necessary medications for themselves and their buddies (as the first rule of friends on tour is: take care of each other! The second rule? Don't let anyone get separated from the group!). All first aid gaps should be filled (at home or at school). So have them “breathe the morning air” and get into a “cool down position.” Make sure they have their usual medications, as well as water, snacks, sunscreen, bandages, tissues, ibuprofen, paracetamol, condoms and comfortable shoes, as well as paper copies of passports, debit cards, airline tickets, etc. If there is a real risk of losing their smartphone, a spare flip phone would be very handy. Plus some cash.

Then, when you think about it (ideally well before the plane takes off), they will probably be right as rain. But are you still going to worry about them? Yes, of course. It's the first law of parenting.