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Standing Tall Against Alcohol
What You Need to Know to Keep Your Preteen Safe
By Gwen Morrison
Dr. Yoast says the issue needs to be addressed at home and in the community. "In the home, parents can make sure alcohol is not easily available to their children and very clearly educate their children about what they expect and think about drinking," he says. "They can also teach their children to be media savvy – help them recognize how advertising is designed to falsely make drinking seem normal and harmless and appealing to youth."
As a community, we need to be sure that merchants and other adults comply with all the laws that ban provisions of alcohol to minor children. As parents, we need to be sure that adults are supervising our children during after school hours and at youth parties and get-togethers.
"Most of the education youth get is through the biases of alcohol advertising and from other youth," says Dr. Yoast. "While most schools now use prevention programs that include alcohol education, there is little in the mass media to educate children about the risks that alcohol poses to them. Many parents incorrectly assume there's nothing that can be done – that kids will drink, no matter what. They fail to educate their own children and to demand that the community work together to reduce underage drinking."
Dr. Yoast says that the problems with teenage drinking are serious, but points out that parents can really make all the difference. "Have clear, firm, consistent and explicit family rules and expectations regarding alcohol for each family member," he says. "Think about your own behaviors regarding alcohol and whether those present the model you want your children to adopt."