Underage Drinking

How to Help.

Parents can help their teen by explaining to them that it is smart to make safe choices. They should be proactive and communicate with their teen to inform them that drinking has health dangers and other risks for young people. Parents can play a big role in shaping young people’s attitudes toward drinking according to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Parents can have either a positive or negative influence on their child’s life. Intervening in a child’s life as soon as possible would help create the idea that alcohol could destroy their lives if they drank at an early stage. Many parents never explain or teach their children the dangers of certain things, causing their child to become curious and try harmful things.

Educating your children as soon as they reach middle school would increase the chances of your child not drinking. Talking to your children would also be recommended, it would give you a better understanding of your child, learning about their lives could help you see if they are having problems, feel stressed, or have questions. Talking to them continually would create a bond, which would make your child more comfortable telling you things they did. Having conversations about life in general would also help you have a strong connection with your child. You want your child to be your friend and parent. Research shows that children whose parents are actively involved in their lives are less likely to drink alcohol. Keeping alcohol away and locked away would also be help to keep your teen from drinking. If it is locked up it will make it more difficult for them to have access to alcohol. A recent study showed that 93.4 percent of adolescents ages 12–14 who drank alcohol in the past month got it for free; In many cases, adolescents have access to alcohol through family members, or find it at home (SAMHSA).