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As a parent, you are the number one influence in your child's life, and can have a huge impact on your teen's decision to use alcohol or drugs. Talk to your kids: teens who understand that effects and risks of alcohol are less likely to drink. And let them know you're paying attention: teens who don't believe they'll be caught by their parents are five times more likely to use alcohol.
What can you do to reduce the risk of your teen using alcohol or drugs? These five tips can help you prevent underage drinking.
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Limit access. One of the primary places that teens access alcohol is in their own homes. If you have alcohol in your home, count or mark it, and lock it up. Encourage retail outlets to check IDs and sell alcohol only to adults 21 years and older by thanking clerks when you see them card a customer. If you have information about where youth in your community are getting alcohol, let the police know. |
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Network. Build relationships with the parents of your teen's friends. Discuss your rules and consequences around alcohol and drug use. Compare notes on your kids' plans to help monitor and prevent your teens from making risky decisions. Ask other parents to call you if they ever have concerns that your child may be drinking or using drugs. And let them know where you stand on underage drinking тАУ no acceptable, ever. |
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Reinforce and enforce. Talk to your teen often about your rules and the consequences for breaking them, and remind them before they go out. Explain that you are protecting them from the many risks of alcohol and drug use, not trying to restrict their freedom. Let them know you're serious by following through consistently if they violate the rules. Family contracts are a great way for you and your teen to put these expectations in writing. |
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Check in often. Talk to your teen about their plans before they go out. Ask if there will be alcohol, and if parents will be present. Trust but verify. Have your teen call you from a landline so you can confirm they are where they said they would be. Check in with other parents before a party. |
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Be up and be ready. Wait up for your teen to get home, or set the alarm to wake up for curfew time. Talk to your teen about their night, and look for signs of use. Remember, teens who think their parents won't catch them are five times more likely to drink, and knowing you'll be waiting up gives your teen an excuse not to drink alcohol. Prepare ahead of time for how you want to react and respond the first time you discover your teen has been drinking. |
Talking to your teen about not using alcohol and drugs can be awkward or uncomfortable for both of you. The following tips can make it easier:
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Think of it as an ongoing discussion and take advantage of opportunities to raise the subject as they arise. |
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Create a conversation, rather than giving a lecture. |
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Find out first what your child knows and thinks about underage drinking, and what they have seen or experienced. |
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Let your child speak freely and without interruption. This will allow them to feel heard and make them more receptive to hearing your message. |
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Help to dispel misconceptions they may have about alcohol and drugs, and discuss the risks of drinking and drug use. |
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Coach them on how they can say no to offers of drugs or alcohol in ways that they feel comfortable with. |
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Finally, talk about your rules around drinking and drug use, and together decide on the consequences for breaking them. |
Check out the resources below for more tips on talking to your kids about alcohol and drugs.
The Anti-Drug - How to Hold a Crucial Conversation about Drugs
Making a Difference - Talking With Your Teen About Alcohol
MaineParents.net - Tackling Tough Subjects
Parents. The Anti-Drug - Conversation Tips for Parents
Civil and/or criminal charges apply for both underage drinking violations and for adults for furnish alcohol or host underage drinking, not to mention substantial financial liability. Be aware of Maine laws.
While parents and other adults may be clear in their conversations with youth that underage drinking and drug use is never okay, often we don't consider the conflicting messages we may send with our behaviors and actions. Teens learn just as much about expectations -- both their parents' and their communities' -- from these subtler messages. Learn more about how modeling -- positive or negative -- can send messages about whether it's okay for kids to drink alcohol or use drugs.
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