Research has shown that 60% of eighteen-year-old teenagers have taken alcohol at least once and one out of ten of these adolescents binge drink. In fact, around 1.4 million have reported binge drinking for at least five times a month. Raising adolescents is one of the most fulfilling experiences you might have in parenting. This is the time when you can see your children turning into young adults and starting to make good decisions on their own. However, there will be times when teenagers become curious and will experiment with things that can cause them danger. One of the things that adolescents usually try is drinking. This becomes more common as they get older.
Binge drinking, especially among teenagers whose brains are still undergoing development, can highly increase the risk of severe injuries and even death. Alcohol is one of the causes of deaths of almost 4,500 young adults yearly. Around 200,000 patients are sent to the emergency room due to alcohol-related injuries. Alcohol highly affects the developing brain of adolescents which causes changes in their cognitive and learning functions, thus making them more prone to alcohol dependence in the future.
Here are some ways to avoid alcohol problems in teenagers:
Be Aware of Your Own Alcohol Consumption
If you drink more than the weekly alcohol unit guidelines (14 units a week for both males and females) you are drinking too much. This is not good for your health and it could set a bad example for your children. Besides the amount, when they see you drink to relieve stress, calm yourself down when upset, or to celebrate success, your children will see that alcohol is the answer to everything. As we all know, parents are children’s first role models so they will do as we do. So if you want your children to avoid drinking at a young age, you must look at your own drinking habits and make changes to this if you drink more than most.
Resolve Issues at Home
Personal and family issues can greatly affect your children and these can be some of the things that could influence them to drink. To resolve this problem, seek help from family counselors or professionals who can help you with divorce, substance abuse, and more.
Let Them Know about the Science of Alcohol
Check statistics; educate your children about how alcohol can affect the brain and the body. Do research and be aware of the warning signs of teens taking alcohol and drugs; also make plans on seeking professional help when needed.
Teach them How to Say No to Alcohol
People need to know that declining an offer, especially to things that can be harmful, does not mean they are rejecting a friend or being rude. Saying no to alcohol means that they are looking after their own well-being. Being assertive is one of the things that you can teach your children since this will help them decline peers when they are pressured to do something unsafe such as drinking. The best way to learn this is to talk things through with them. Help them practice how to turn things down especially when they have the right to refuse. Another way to teach them is by demonstrating assertive behavior in social situations.
Know and Welcome Your Children’s Friends to Your House
Welcoming your children’s friends is one of the important things to do. You can earn their trust; this will also allow you to know more about your children’s friends and the people they spend time with. If they see that you do not welcome their friends and that you do not trust them, they may end up not letting you know about whom they spend their time with. They will not let you know where they are and what time they will be home since they want privacy and independence. On the other hand, if you offer them the chance to invite their friends over you may be surprised at how enthusiastic they can be. Welcome their friends but give them the chance to spend their time without you as well; you can always check them out just to see if they are okay.
Do not Make Alcohol the Answer to Boredom
Drinking with friends usually happens when teenagers are bored and have nothing else to do. However, if you keep them busy with something interesting and exciting such as reading and playing games, or engaging in sports, they will not experience boredom and resort to drinking. Find out what’s available and talk to your children to see what they would like to be involved in. You can also overcome boredom while having quality time with the family by playing with the Whistlecopter toys.
The Whistlecopter comes with the exclusive Viper launcher and can attain heights of 250 feet and looks like fireworks in the sky with their bright LED lights. They come packaged individually or packaged together with the instruction card, seven-inch rubber band, and batteries for everyone to enjoy playing. Each of these also comes with the new super glow wings which make these emit brighter lights. The Whistlecopter has a Patent and trademarks so do not be fooled by imitations. They are safe and have the highest quality material which is why you can ensure that everyone will enjoy playing without any worries. You may also want to try their Original Copter which flies the same but without a whistling noise on the way up.