Alcohol consumption among adolescents has very important and serious repercussions in their organism. In our country, the Law establishes a specific age to be able to buy and / or consume alcoholic beverages, 18 years. From the we offer these ten tips to prevent the alcohol consumption in your children , making them aware of how this practice has a negative impact on your body :
Kill with prevent alcohol consumption your children a fluent communication
It is important that you keep yourself accessible to your children. If they perceive that when they tell you something they are going to be heard, it is easier for them to come to you in case of any doubt or problem that may arise. In this sense, take advantage of any social opportunity (family celebrations, Christmas parties …) in which alcohol is used to talk about the social acceptance of its consumption despite the harmful effects it has for health.
It establishes clear norms and limits according to their age
The rules and limits give security to your children. Even if they rebel against them, they need to know what is right and what is not. On the other hand, in establishing these rules and limits, it is necessary that both parents agree. Especially in what is negotiable and what is not and the consequences that your children / as have to meet in case of skipping those rules and / or limits. Regarding the consumption of alcohol, it is important to make it clear that you will not allow their consumption in adolescence because it poses a serious risk to their health and it is your obligation to protect them when they are minors .
Talk clearly with your children about the effects of alcohol on teens
Teenagers have no sense of risk. That is why, although they hear news about the negative effects of alcohol , they never think that this can happen to them too. Therefore, it is very important that from the family you explain clearly and seriously, but closely, the harmful effects that alcohol consumption has for their evolutionary age (difficulties in reasoning, learning, attention and concentration, development of their functions …) and that these effects increase according to sex and body weight. You can also leave sequels to your adult life.
Adolescents are very curious, and tend to look for a lot of information when something interests them. It is useful to take advantage of this impulse and provide them with documentation especially aimed at young people so that they themselves are more capable of discriminating what is ultimately more or less convenient for them, always with our presence as parents to guide them.
Educate them in responsible values and attitudes through your example.
If you are trying that your children do not consume alcohol, do not do it either in front of them. It is not worth telling them that you know how much you can drink and that you “control”. They will think that “why they will not be able to do the same”. Remember that adolescents learn more through example than with “talks”.
The exercise of a parental authority that makes it possible for our children to internalize acceptable norms and take responsible decisions, not only motivated by immediate pleasure, but also by the consequences of their actions. Caring for yourself and your health will ultimately depend on your own decisions.
Reinforce positive behaviors
If you establish a healthy and coherent relationship with your children in which you mark what is not right, teaching them alternative behaviors and rewarding what they do well, it will be easier for them to come to you in the face of any difficulty or doubt. If this is the case and they are hesitating about whether or not to consume alcohol, they may try to obtain information by asking their parents before doing so by any other means, which will give you and also them security.
Teach them to say no despite group pressure
In the stage of adolescence, belonging to the peer group is very important. Therefore, it is possible that even if your children do not drink alcohol, if there are people in their group who do, they may be pressured to drink. Teaching them to trust in themselves and to refuse to do what they know will be harmful, is life insurance for them. It is also not uncommon that when a teenager refuses to drink others who think like him but do not dare to say so, they join his decision.
Alcohol does not make people more fun
It is very common for adolescents to drink in a group in order to disinherit and get rid of their complexes and insecurities. However, drinking, although you can at first “cheat” these negative feelings, does not eliminate them. Quite the contrary, they will come back stronger together with the negative effects of having drunk. It is therefore important that you talk to them about the possibility of having fun without having to drink.
Teach them the importance of healthy leisure
In relation to the previous point, we want to point out that it is very frequent that many adolescents do not know how to have fun if they do not drink. Under the apparent euphoria and disinhibition that alcohol produces , they do not think about the subsequent consequences. Therefore, it is necessary to teach them alternatives of healthy leisure in which they enjoy their five senses and feel good about themselves, learning that they do not need to consume any substance to have a good time.
Try to know the friendships of your children
It is important that you try to know who your children are with and what kind of friends they have. It is even positive that you offer them to meet, as much as possible, sometime in your home so that you can observe how they relate to each other and the way they behave to have a good time. This way you will have relevant information about the habits of your children and you will be able to intervene on time if necessary.
Ask for help if you need it
If you consider that your child has problems with alcohol consumption and do not know how to help, do not hesitate, ask for help from specialized professionals. Adult and Family where a team of professionals will attend you 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Likewise, you can tell your son / daughter to contact us through the Help Phone for Children and Adolescents at Risk where the same team of professionals will also attend you 24 hours a day, every day of the year. year and free of charge and confidential.
