Talking To Your Child About Alcohol: What To Ask & What To Say

C.A.S.S. Connection

Youth who’s parents/care giver talked to them and clearly stated that alcohol use was not acceptable were 40% less likely to use.

Promoting What’s Best for the Health and Safety of Cass County

Did You Know?

1. Start talking about alcohol early, whenever it's relevant.

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2. Answer their questions.

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3. Set clear expectations. 4. Give your kids facts before you think they need them. 5. Keep communication open.

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The Average of First Use of Alcohol for Girls is 13, and 11 for Boys. 9 out of 10 of those who meet criteria for addiction started using nicotine, alcohol or marijuana in their teens. Alcohol is the number one addictive substance used by adolescents 18 and younger. Underage Drinking kills more youth than all illegal drugs combined.

6. Coach instead of trying to control. 7. Have practice conversations with your child

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What you need to Know About:

Underage Drinking Alcohol use is often seen as part of coming of age and that it is less harmful then other drugs. These are very dangerous beliefs. Youth under the age of 21 who drink alcohol are more likely to struggle in school, drop out of high school/ college, be a victim of violence/rape or experience a life altering injury. Nearly 5000 youth die annually from alcohol related accidents, vehicle crashes, homicides and suicide. C.A.S.S. Community Coalition wants to help inform parents/care givers, and community members on the facts of Underage Drinking and what they can do to help keep our youth safe.

8. Make sure your teen has other opportunities for extreme fun.

Myths

9. Raise a child who can say No.

Myth: By providing alcohol to teens at home, a parents creates an environment that decreases the risk for drinking problems as a teen and future substance abuse problems.

10. When your child DOES try alcohol, be there to talk about it. 11. Be your child's backup. 12. Model healthy living. 13. Foster emotional intelligence. 14. Above all, stay connected with your child, at every age. Visit AhaParenting.com for age appropriate suggestions.

Truth: The opposite has actually been found to be true. By providing alcohol to teens you are increasing their risk of continued drinking and future problems with substance abuse. Myth: By being ‘too strict’ with teens in regards to drinking will only cause them to drink more once they are no longer under parental supervision. Truth: New research by The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study found that teens of parents who had a more relaxed attitude in regards to them drinking alcohol, were more likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs. Myth: In Europe, parents give teens alcohol at an early age and they learn to drink more responsibly than American teens. Truth: More European teens report drinking regularly than American teens and a higher percentage report being intoxicated at an earlier age than American teens. There are numerous studies that have shown the earlier in life a teen starts drinking the greater the risk for alcohol-related injuries and substance abuse when they are older.

When in Doubt, Lock it Up!

What Communities Can Do About Underage Drinking

In 2011 40% of Emergency Room Visits for Drug Abuse by those under 20 years old involved Alcohol.

Get Organized: 

C.A.S.S.Coalition 

Create a Parent Contact list, Facebook Page, or Twitter Acct. allowing parents and parent groups to communicate easily.

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Share Knowledge: Get the word out. Share this newsletter with parents, friends, and coworkers. Like and follow C.A.S.S. Coalition on Facebook, share what you learn on your social media.

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Support the Message that underage drinking is not okay.

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Change the Teen Scene: Create friendly, alcohol-free places for teens to gather.

Student Athletes who drink alcohol can decrease their athletic performance as much as 30%

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Resources Aha Parenting: http://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/safety/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-alcohol-drinking Partnership for Drug Free Kids: http://www.drugfree.org/the-parent-toolkit/ NCADD: https://ncadd.org/for-parents-overview/talking-with-children Positive Parenting: http://www.positive-parenting-skills.net/verbal-and-nonverbal-communication.html Stop Underage Drinking: https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/enforcementadjudication.aspx

Join C.A.S.S. Coalition.

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The Power of Community to Create Health is Far Greater Than Any Physician, Clinic or Hospital. Dr. Mark Hyman

Form a group to address changing your communities attitude regarding underage drinking.