Talk early, talk often

Talk. They hear you!

It's Not Too Early to Talk About Drinking With Your Child

HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT ALCOHOL AND UNDERAGE DRINKING

Research shows that parents are the leading influence on their child’s decisions about alcohol. Although it may not seem like it, when parents talk about underage drinking, their children do hear them. To prevent young people from starting to drink, the campaign focuses on ages 9–15. Around 9, children begin thinking alcohol may not be just for adults. By 15, many young people are drinking. Young people who start drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol problems as adults than those who begin drinking at 21 or older.

Parent Resources

April is Alcohol Awareness Month: "Talk Early, Talk Often: Parents Can Make a Difference in Teen Alcohol Use"

Alcohol is the most abused substance by American youth and more likely to be the cause of young people's death over all other illegal drugs combined (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc).

Access is usually what determines which substance young people use, according to Katharine Sadler, author of What Adults Need to Know about Kids and Substance Use. Alcohol and cigarettes--known as "gateway drugs"--are often the substances that adolescents use first because they are easy to obtain. Parents need to make sure that they don't become the suppliers of these substances because easy access to alcohol may send the message to young people that drinking is less serious than using drugs. 

Facts about addiction

Alcohol...Let's Start Talking About It!

According to the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) taken by Pulaski High School Students:

• 32.2 % of students reported drinking alcohol during the 30 days before the survey was given.
• 16.9 % of students reported having had 5 or more drinks (binge drinking) during the 30 days before the survey was given.
• 59.9 % of the students reported that they feel their parents think drinking alcohol at least 2x/month is wrong or very wrong.

Excessive alcohol consumption is the 3rd leading cause of preventable death in the United States.