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False Assumptions Parents sometimes hesitate to impose rules against underage drinking or even to discuss drinking with their teens. Maybe they are embarrassed or assume their child is not at risk.
Parents Might Assume My child is not interested in drinking.
Parents Might Assume
Parents Might Assume At this point, my child should know better.
Read The Facts About 33% of high school seniors have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days. My child’s friends are good kids who do not drink alcohol.
Read The Facts
Read The Facts
According to data from a Monitoring the Future national survey, about 75% of teens try alcohol outside the home before graduating from high school.
Unfortunately, the reality is that many teens don’t yet have the life experience to be truly informed on the severity of the dangers of alcohol.
Parents Might Assume
Parents Might Assume
My child won’t listen to me at this point.
My child has learned about the negative effects of alcohol in school.
Read The Facts
Read The Facts
National surveys reveal that parents are the number one source that teens turn to for important information. Parents can influence their teen’s decision not to drink alcohol.
Although most teens do learn about alcohol in their health classes, research shows that many important issues never get covered. School programs alone are not enough to stop teens from drinking.
Teens who binge drink say: • They don’t believe drinking makes you sick or has bad effects. • They are bored, and there is nothing else to do but drink. • They expect drinking to have benefits, such as improved socializing. • “It can’t be that bad if everyone is doing it,” and “my friends won’t think I’m cool if I don’t drink.” Teens Make Assumptions, Too
Parent Tip: Keep conversations open and fact-based. Do: Acknowledge their feelings and explore facts together. Don’t: Dismiss their thoughts or shut down the conversation.
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