As a parent, you still have the power to positively influence your teenager’s drinking behaviour. Even when your teenager has already started drinking, it is not too late to talk about alcohol and to set the boundaries for their drinking behaviour.Parents play an important role in educating teenage children about the use of alcohol, setting standards and limits for their children, and in modelling attitudes and alcohol consumption behaviour.
Research has suggested that teenagers look to their parents to provide guidance and boundaries of acceptable behaviour with respect to drinking alcohol. This of course, is not to suggest that teenagers will never overstep these boundaries, but rather an indication that teenagers are looking to their parents to set and communicate these standards, against which they can assess their own behaviour.
Research shows that delaying the onset of drinking reduces the harmful levels of drinking in later life. Talking to your children about alcohol use and the consequences and risks associated with drinking to intoxication can play an important role in influencing your teenager’s drinking habits. By modelling responsible attitudes and behaviour with respect to your own drinking and avoiding drinking to intoxication, you have a much greater chance of positively influencing your teenager’s attitudes to drinking.
Here are some useful tips:
· Discuss the risks and harms associated with drinking to intoxication, including the impact on health (ie brain damage, memory loss) and social well-being (ie doing something that is embarrassing or that they may regret).
· Set clear boundaries and expectations with regards to what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour with regards to drinking alcohol.
· Aim to discourage your kids from drinking alcohol for as long as possible. Once teenagers have started to drink, it is often difficult to reverse.
· Discuss what to do if a friend is intoxicated.
· Stress the importance of never getting into a car with a driver who has been drinking. Agree on a plan if this situation ever arises, which may include paying for a taxi when they get home, picking them up, or allowing them to stay overnight at a friend’s place.
· Teach your children how to cope with situations they may be faced with if they do decide to drink alcohol. Ensure your position on the matter is clear, however, educate them on how to be safe and how they can reduce the risks and harms associated with drinking to intoxication.
There are help and support services available for young people and their parents about problems with alcohol and other related issues.
For more information please visit the links below: http://www.drinkingnightmare.gov.au/ and http://www.drinkwise.com.au/.
Information courtesy of Gold Coast City Council
