macdogald asked:
Re: Teen drinking. One of the major 'causes' teen drinking, to me, is adult modelling. When adults drink alcohol, and I mean all members of society, it is portrayed as a normal adult behaviour. I think too much attention is given to teen drinking, and not the adult drinking happening alongside.
I agree with this, parents/adults can be the single greatest influence on their children and play a major role in shaping whether their child will use alcohol responsibly in the future.
Here are some tips for adults:
- If you drink, let your child see you drink only small amounts and let them see you refuse a drink once in a while.
- If you don’t drink, talk with your child about why you made this choice.
- Pregnant women or women trying to get pregnant should not drink at all.
- Treat alcohol like the dangerous drug it can be and don’t ask youth to serve you a drink or get a beer from the fridge.
- Let your children hear you say that you don’t want a drink because you are driving. Don’t drink and drive or combine alcohol with medications.
- Show your child healthy ways to handle stress. Don’t make comments about needing a drink to relax after a hard day.
- Women should not drink more than one drink a day. Men should not drink more than two drinks a day.
- Finally, count these sizes as one drink: 12 oz. beer, 1.5 oz. liquor, 5 oz. wine.
