Talking Points for Parents and Teens

 Parents:

Be Specific-Tell your teen what your household rules are regarding alcohol, the behavior you expect and the consquences for breaking the rules.

Review-Go over rules regularly, such as at the beginning of each school year and before all events where alcohol might be involved (e.g.; prom, graduation, unsupervised parties).

 Be Realistic-Alcohol is the most abused drug in this country. 45% of  high school students use alcohol. 26% of high school students reported episodic heavy or binge drinking, 11% of high school students reported driving a car or other vehicle during the past 30 days when they had been drinking alcohol. In addition, 29% of students reported riding in a car or other vehicle during the past 30 days driven by someone who had been drinking. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-2007

 Alcohol Dangers:

  •  Drunk driving-This is the most immediate threat that alcohol poses to teenagers. Prom or graduation night celebrations too often turn into tragedy for teens who don't realize how severely alcohol can slow their reactions and impair their judgment.
  •  Poor Decisions- Remind your teen that drinking can cause you to take risks you might not usually take (like unsafe sex) or to put yourself in dangerous situations. Talk with kids frankly about date-rape, which is often alcohol-related or the danger of date-rape drugs being mixed in with an alcoholic drink.
  • Alcohol Poisoning-Alcohol poisoning occurs when someone drinks to the point that their blood alcohol content (BAC) reaches dangerous levels and causes the central nervous system to slow down. Alcohol poisoning is most likely to happen when someone drinks a large amount of alcohol very quickly. Because the liver can only process roughly 1 drink per hour, a person's BAC can continue to rise for several hours (even when unconscious).  

    • Other Parents-Talk to other parents and make sure that if your child is attending a party it is well supervised, there are no drugs or alcohol, and plans are made to make sure teens get home safely. It’s okay to call and establish contact with the parents of your child’s friends.  Know whom your child is associating with and where they will be. 
    Parent’s Behavior-Take a look at your own drinking patterns. Children are much more affected by what they see, than by what you tell them.  
     Easy Way Out-Give your child ideas for taking the easy way out of a bad situation. Give them money to call a cab if they want to come home, but don’t want to call you or tell them you’ll come and pick them up with no questions asked (in the moment).
    Teens:
    Talk to Your Parents-It’s amazing what opening up to your parents about your concerns and feelings will do for your relationship. Parents want to know about your life and you’ll be surprised at the support you can get from parents.

    Understand-Let your parents know you understand their worries about drinking, parties and sex. Explain your position and how you’re educated on the issues. 
     Y    our Friends’ Parents-Encourage your parents to call your friend’s mother or father to discuss plans for an evening. It will build trust if you don’t resist their attempts to follow up on your plans.
    Brainstorm-Come up with ideas for saying no to alcohol, sex and drugs. Yes, even if it means you blame your parents.
    Grateful-Be grateful that your parents care enough about you to want to know where you are and whom you’re with. That worry is fueled by love and concern, not just control. 
                                                                              Sex

    Big Events    -There is often pressure to have sex on big “occasions” like Prom and Graduation. Be aware of this and talk to each other about the circumstances and the weight these dates can carry.
    Choices 
    Teens: No matter your beliefs about sex,  it is really important to plan beforehand what you’re willing to do in a relationship. This allows you the opportunity to guard against STDs, unwanted pregnancy and misunderstandings.

    Parents: They’ll always be your babies, but do your teens the service of discussing your values and your beliefs about sex. Even if these are different than your child’s beliefs, you can keep a dialogue going which can prove invaluable later.  
    Non-judgment-    This door swings both ways. Parents and teens alike can learn to listen to each other without judgment. This is where respect comes into play between the generations. Each has something to teach the other.