Talk to a Teen About Alcohol

Parents are often reluctant to talk to their children about hard decisions in life. Two-way dialog on substance abuse seems to be challenging for many parents. Refusal to talk about alcohol usage can be harmful to the child physically, mentally and socially. Parents must guide children during the teen years when young people gain more freedom, have access to money and are discovering their own interests. Talk to your teen about alcohol.

Instructions

Step1

Spend time together during family activities.

Step2

Make your opinions clear whenever the issue of drinking comes up. Use recent events or current newspaper articles on the subject as a means to raise the issue. Give your reaction to the events and ask your teen for a reaction. Listen.

Step3

Give the best answer possible to all of the teen's alcohol-related questions without lecturing.

Step4

Promise to let the teen know when you need to reschedule a conversation and that you will listen to and answer questions later.

Step5

Resist the urge to say that the teen is too young to understand alcohol usage.

Step6

Respect the teenager's feelings and ideas.

Step7

Trust that the teen will think before he takes action.

Step8

Respect the teenager as a person.

Step9

Prevent your own embarrassment or the teen's embarrassment from stopping you from discussing alcohol.

Step10

Refuse to assume that the teen wants to drink alcohol if they seek information on the subject. Understand that the desire to understand alcohol usage is a sign that the teen is trying to make wise decisions.

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