Helping Your Teen Make Good Choices Many teens choose to drink because they assume everyone else is doing it and that it’s an acceptable thing to do. However, studies show that nearly 7 in 10 teens are NOT drinking alcohol. You can’t completely protect your child from peer pressure, but by teaching your teen to make good choices and by supervising and monitoring their activities, you can help shield your teen from the most dangerous situations. Dealing with Peer Pressure Sometimes teens face situations where they are pressured to do something they would rather not do. For example, a friend might push your teen to have a drink when they don’t want to. You can empower your child by talking to them about ways they can say no without feeling weird or left out. Talk with them about using ACTIVE and PASSIVE refusal strategies if they are offered alcohol or other substances. 5
Your teen might be told:
Refusal Strategy:
Your teen could say:
ACTIVE Take a stand
“Come on, everyone has tried it.”
“No, I don’t do drugs.”
“If you won’t drink with us, then why are you hanging out with us?”
“Sorry, I just have an early game tomorrow morning and need to be ready.”
PASSIVE Make an excuse
ACTIVE Make a statement
“We drank once before, so what’s the problem now?”
“I know, and I’m not making that mistake again.”
PASSIVE Suggest an alternative
“Come on, take a drink. It will get you in the mood.”
“Actually, I’m in the mood to watch a movie.”
PASSIVE Change the subject
“You’ve been working too hard. Live a little!”
“Thanks! Hey, that reminds me. Did I tell you about...”
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