Talking to Your Children About Alcohol

• Have you though about how your drinking habits and attitudes influence your children?
• Do you ever talk to your children about alcohol?

When is the best time to start talking about alcohol with your children?

There is no definite answer to this.  Ideally it is best to talk about alcohol, as informally as possible, before children start to experiment by themselves or with their friends.  It’s never too early to chat with your child.

Your children will pick up information about alcohol from lots of sources such as friends, TV, pop music, advertisements and so on.  Research show that children questioned in Lancashire would go to their parents for advice or help about alcohol issues.

Make sure you can answer your children’s questions as accurately and as honestly as you can.  For more information about when and how to start talking to children about alcohol, visit: www.lookoutalcohol.co.uk

You can make sure that you and your child’s school are giving the same messages by talking to the school about what happens in drug and alcohol education and about what happens if a young person is found with alcohol in school.  This will help you to communicate with your child about alcohol.

Positive Role Models…..

Parents have an important influence on their children’s attitudes and behaviour.

“Because as with all parenting issues, children are influenced by what they see, hear and discuss at home.”

Remember that children learn by example, so if you do choose to drink in the home be open and natural about it.  By drinking moderately you are acting as a positive role model and demonstrating appropriate behaviour to your children.

“Alcohol is all around us, we can’t hide it, we should explain what it is, what it does, why people drink and what is reasonable.  De-mystify it don’t hide it.”

The first taste…..

Alcohol is a part of many people’s social lives.  Many of us drink to relax, be sociable and have a good time.  When talking to young people about alcohol make sure you balance both good and bad points.  It is important that you give your children accurate information, so that they can make informed choices.

If your family have a drink at home or are celebrating a special occasion, it may be appropriate to let you children have a taste if they become inquisitive.  Though drinking in a supervised environment your children may be less likely to go somewhere secretive for their first drink.  Children will also get a better idea of what to expect of they start to drink without supervision.

• Remember that it is against the law to give alcohol to a child under 5 years old.

As they get older…..

Most children will eventually want to experiment with alcohol with their friends without supervision from you. 

• If you discover they’ve been drinking away from home without your permission, think about how you will respond.
• Discuss the situation calmly and talk about the possible consequences of drinking too much.
• Try and work out some ground rules together which could include knowing where your children are and who they are with.

“Alcohol is put under your nose.  It’s acceptable in society, you cannot then turn round to a child and tell them not to drink, you are not going to win on that one, all you can do is educate them through it.”A Lancashire parent

It’s never to early or too late to start leaning!