How Can You Help Avoid Teenage Drinking?

If all their friends drink and they don't want to, it can be hard to say "no, thanks." No one wants to risk feeling rejected or left out. Different strategies for turning down alcohol work for different people. Some people find it helps to say no without giving an explanation, others think offering their reasons works better ("I'm not into drinking," "I have a game tomorrow," or "my uncle died from drinking," for example).

If saying no to alcohol makes them feel uncomfortable in front of people they know, they should blame you parents or another adult for their refusal. Saying, "My parents are coming to pick me up soon," "I already got in major trouble for drinking once, I can't do it again," or "my coach/P.E teacher would kill me," can make saying no a bit easier for some.

If they are going to a party and they know there will be alcohol, help them plan their strategy in advance. Together with you and a friend, they can develop a signal for when it's time to leave, for example. They can also make sure that they have plans to do something besides just hanging out in someone's house drinking all night. Plan a trip to the movies, the shopping mall, a concert, or a sports event. They might also organise their friends into an activity that gets them doing something, like bowling, ice skating and so on.

Girls or guys who have strong self-esteem are less likely to have a teenage drinking problem than people with low self-esteem. So find things about your young people that are right and make them feel good about themselves. Try to build them up, not knock them down. They have enough knocks to take at school and socially.

“The Drug Attraction” is a simple to understand ebook for you parents to help your kids stay out of trouble with drugs and alcohol. Teenage drinking can obviously open the door to other drugs being used, so absorb this information and feel more able to deal with and hopefully avoid the possible effects of the drink and drug culture that your young people are growing up in.