Alcohol. A Smart Parents' Guide to Helping Teens Take a Healthy Approach

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More than half of kids who've drunk alcohol under the age of 15 in the UK were offered it by their parents. 

Alcohol has been proven to cause seven types of cancer, according the World Cancer Research. According to other research, the earlier kids try alcohol the higher the risk they'll indulge in binge drinking and any alcohol-related harm.

Parents don't want to harm their kids, so why are they giving them alcohol? 

According to research done by Community Alcohol Partnerships, parents often assume their kids are going to drink so they would rather it happened at home. 

To help us understand the issues, I invited Director of Community Alcohol Partnerships, Kate Winstanley, to talk through what we should be thinking as parents. 

PRACTICAL TIPS:

• Encourage sports, hobbies, clubs and social activities that keep your kids active and fulfilled.
• Teenagers say boredom is a reason for drinking. Encourage them to get a holiday job or volunteer.
• Establish routines, like mealtimes, that mean you can spend some time together and talk to each other. This helps your child to feel they can come to you if they have a problem.
• Know the facts and laws about alcohol and can talk in a balanced and constructive way about the pros and cons of drinking.
• Talk and listen to your teenager. It is important that they hear your views and that you hear theirs.
• Use everyday opportunities, for example a storyline in a TV programme, as a prompt.
• Make sure the ground rules are clear. Have consequences for breaking rules and enforce them. READ MY BLOG ON CONSEQUENCES - https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/blog/whats-going-on-when-our-boundaries-and-consequences-dont-seem-to-work/
• Know where they’re going and who they’re with.

OTHER RELEVANT HELP:

PARTIES: https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/parties-for-teens-and-tweens-invitations-gatecrashers-and-alcohol/

ALCOHOL: https://www.teenagersuntangled.com/2-alcohol-how-to-discuss-it-and-staying-connected-should-we-be-letting-our-teenagers-drink-and-w/

CAP: https://www.communityalcoholpartnerships.co.uk/parents-carers/busting-the-myths

TALK ABOUT TRUST: https://talkabouttrust.org/parents-carers/

RISKS OF UNDERAGE DRINKING:

• Immediate risks such as injury, violence, suicide, risky sexual activity, and other substance use;
• Developmental risks for the brain, liver, skeleton, and endocrine system. In particular adolescence is a critical period in brain development and the effects of alcohol can lead to permanent consequences;
• Social risks, including an association with future involvement in crime and lower educational outcomes.
• Worse future drinking patterns: earlier drink

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I don't have medical training so please seek the advice of a specialist if you're not coping.

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You can reach Susie at www.amindful-life.co.uk