Teenagers Still Don’t Realize The Effects Of Drinking

It’s natural for teenagers to be rebellious. They’ve been that way since the beginning of time. When you tell your teenager not to do something and it’s pretty likely that they are going to do it. It’s just a fact of life.

The thing is, when it comes to drinking it’s very important to get teens to listen and pay attention. While more teens seem to be choosing not to drink, that doesn’t mean that none of them are.

A 2013 survey shared by the CDC showed that of a group of high school students surveyed about their drinking over the previous 30 days, 35 percent of them had drank at least some alcohol and 21 percent of them had participated in binge drinking.

How To Talk To Teens About Drinking

Just telling your teenager not to do something isn’t enough. And even telling them the stories about what alcohol isn’t always going to work, because “That doesn’t mean it will happen to me.” If you have a teenager you’ve heard that one before.

 

However, whether you think they are listening or not, you need to share with them the negative effects of drinking. Some of these are also signs that your teenager may already be drinking.

• Problems at school- They may miss more school or even start to fail classes.
• Problems socially- They may start losing friends, starting fights or even stop participating in activities they once loved.
• Problems with the law- They could get arrested for drunk driving or fighting while they are under the influence of alcohol.
• Health problems- Alcohol can cause sickness, hangovers, blackouts and in the long run it can lead to very painful liver disease.
• Problems on the road- If you drink and drive you can get in an accident that could hurt and/or kill another person, or yourself.

On top of all of that, drinking can lead to promiscuity, as well as possible rape or sexual assault. Teenagers definitely need to learn that while they may think that drinking is fun and a way to release, it really isn’t a good thing to do and can hurt them terribly in the long run.

Can You Scare Them Straight?

You can show teens the effects of alcohol, through movies or even a visit to the local drunk tank. If you are heading out of town and afraid your teen is planning a party where there will be underage drinking you can do some other things to scare them out of drinking.

According to She Budgets, you can deter parties by having a friend or family member check on your teen while you’re gone. Also, lock up any liquor you have in the house.

Always set up rules and consequences and follow through on them if you catch your teens with alcohol, or catch them actually consuming alcohol. Let them know you’re serious and that you care about their health and well being, and hopefully they hold off on trying alcohol until they reach the legal age.