When Trying to Prevent Underage Drinking/Drug Use…Share These 5 Concepts

by Lisa Frederiksen

I’m often asked how to help kids avoid underage drinking / drug abuse. So I thought I’d use this post share the five concepts I’ve found especially helpful when having these kinds of discussions with children, teens and parents. They are:

1) Raise awareness about the 21st century brain research that explains why the teen brain is not the same as that of an adult’s and therefore why the teen brain is affected differently by binge drinking (or drugs) than the brain of an adult’s.

• This article, “How Teens Become Alcoholics Before Age 21,”  http://tiny.cc/pyesf , helps to explain this relatively new brain research and why alcohol is harmful to the teen brain in a way it is not necessarily harmful to the adult brain.

2) Help all concerned better understand how the body processes alcohol, which is why it has such an impact on the brain.

• This article, “Why BAC Can Keep Rising After a Person Stops Drinking,”  http://tiny.cc/u0o99 , helps explain alcohol’s impact on the brain and a person’s decision-making capabilities.

3) Share the research showing the Europeans do not have underage drinking figured out, either.

• The  U.S. Surgeon General’s 2007 Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking shares research findings (on page 9 of the Call) showing all but 1 of the 19 European countries surveyed having more students ages 15-16 than the U.S. who have engaged in binge drinking (5+drinks) within the past 30 days.

4) Help children, especially, understand the risk factors for developing a substance misuse problem.

• This article, “The One in Four Children Exposed to Family Alcohol [or Drug] Abuse or Alcoholism [or Drug Addiction],”  http://tiny.cc/cu009 , provides an explanation about the five key risk factors for developing a substance misuse problem.

5) As adults, model moderate drinking and appropriate drug use (meaning to only use drugs in accordance with a doctor’s prescription).