Are You Empowered?
Ever seen those
funny commercials and YouTube videos where awkward parents invade their teens'
lives just as they appear intent on making a poor, albeit often pressured,
decision about drinking alcohol? In 2006, in response to alarming new research
on how alcohol harms the fragile and developing teenage brain, causing brain
impairment and early addiction, the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services began an initiative to halt underage drinking. ParentsEmpowered.org is
a media and education campaign funded by Utah's Legislature and is designed to
do exactly that: Prevent underage drinking in our state by providing parents
with information about the devastating effects of alcohol on the developing
teenage brain. So let's get motivated to take a more active role in keeping our
kids alcohol-free.
Kids need
help to stay alcohol-free. There are constant pressures and opportunities to
drink. The area of the brain that encourages impulsivity and risk-taking (cerebellum)
develops early in teens, while the area that improves self-control (prefrontal
cortex) doesn't develop until the early 20s. Research shows that parental
disapproval of underage drinking is the #1 reason youth choose to not drink. Telling
your kids that alcohol consumption is NOT okay will go a long way in carving
their moral judgment and increasing the likelihood of their choosing against
drinking.
The Power of Parents: Teenagers
still listen to their parents more than anybody else. Around puberty, kids naturally
push away from their parents, potentially resulting in the parents feeling that
they've lost their influence on their teens. WRONG! Teenagers report just the
opposite! Parents DO make a difference!
Skills and tips to
prevent underage drinking:
1. Bonding: Create a positive, loving home
environment. Have daily positive interactions. Notice your child's emotional well-being. Children who feel
close to their parents are less likely to drink.
2. Boundaries: Teach
the risks of underage drinking. Parents
need to set clear rules and expectations
about no underage drinking. Help kids choose friends wisely.
3. Monitoring: Know where your children are.
Know who they're with. Know what they're doing. Ensure an alcohol-free environment.
Parents are busier
than ever before, so staying involved isn't easy! But making that extra effort
to stay close to your kids will make a powerful difference in keeping them alcohol
and addiction-free, with a healthy, fully-functioning brain. Check out parentsempowered.org and drugfree.org/prevent for more tips on
how to engage your kids in discussion about preventing drug use. Putting in a
little extra effort now will save a lot of time and grief later. After all,
wouldn't you rather prevent a life-threatening disease before it even happens?
-Written by:
Chris Wilkins, ASAP Coalition
(Information taken from: parentsempowered.org, 2012; and
teenbrain.drugfree.org, 2012)
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