Underage Drinking

According to the Mayo Clinic, some children begin experimenting with alcohol or feeling pressure to drink during early adolescence, so it is important to begin having conversations about alcohol with your children at a young age.

This holiday season serves as the perfect opportunity to have these conversations, as families will be all together and, most likely, alcohol will be present.

I encourage you to use this time of the year to talk with your children about the dangers of underage drinking and the importance of making healthy decisions. If you are unsure about how to approach the conversation, you can use the following suggestions offered by the Mayo Clinic:

  • Ask your teen's views. Find out what your teen thinks about alcohol. If your teen is interested in drinking, ask why.
  • Debunk myths. Teens often think that drinking makes them popular or happy. Explain that alcohol can make you feel "high," but it's a depressant that can also cause sadness and anger.
  • Discuss reasons not to drink. Explain the risks of teen drinking, and appeal to your teen's self-respect. If you have a family history of alcoholism, be honest. Explain that your teen might be more vulnerable to unhealthy alcohol use.
  • Plan ways to handle peer pressure. Brainstorm with your teen about how to respond to offers of alcohol. It might be as simple as saying, "No thanks" or "Do you have any soda?"
  • Be prepared for questions. Your teen might ask if you drank alcohol when you were underage. If you did, you might admit a painful moment related to your drinking.

For additional information on how to prevent underage drinking, click here.

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