Stop Teenage Drinking

Stop Teenage Drinking

Summer is finally here! For many teens this means they are free to enjoy more time with friends swimming in the pool and enjoying many other activities. It is a time of more freedom in which they have no school, may stay up later, and sleep in late. With summer also comes an increase in the risk of teen drinking. Teen drunk-driving accidents and deaths are highest during these months. It is also a time when teens may have less adult supervision.

“We Don’t Serve Teens” offers these practical tips to help you stop teenage drinking:

• Tell your teen the minimum legal drinking age is 21, and that drinking can cause serious health and safety consequences and legal consequences for the person who provides the alcohol.

• Tell your friends that since the legal drinking age was raised to 21 in the 1980s, teen drinking and binge drinking have decreased substantially.

• Keep track of the alcohol in your home. Make sure teens can’t get into it without your knowledge.

• Be Frank about telling other parents that you don’t want them serving alcohol to your teen or condoning teen drinking.

• Talk to adults who host teen parties. Let them know that most adults agree that it is not okay to serve alcohol to someone else’s teen.

With these tips in mind get out there and have some safe fun in the sun. The St. Regis Mohawk Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Prevention Program.