Ways To Help Middle School Kids Delay Drinking

The middle school years are the time for parents to start talking with their kids about the dangers of drinking alcohol, according to The Science Inside Alcohol Project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Nearly 20 percent of 14 year-olds say they’ve been drunk at least once, according to the Surgeon General.

Members of AAAS’ The Science Inside Alcohol Project are writing a book for middle school parents and developing an interactive Web-based science and health curriculum explaining how alcohol affects adolescents’ brains and bodies. Based on extensive research, the AAAS team suggests five steps parents can take to talk with their kids about alcohol.

1. Find Teachable Moments - We live in a culture of celebrity. If a celebrity your child admires admits to a drinking problem, or an instance of alcohol abuse occurs in your community, talk about it. Ask your middle school student if she knows anyone who drinks alcohol and whether it is at
parties or has been brought into her school. Answer questions. Have this conversation often.

2. Talk to Your Kids When Everything is Fine - Middle school students are volatile, hormonal beings. They are sweet and wonderful one moment, and blow up the next. Pick a time when things are quiet and they’re a captive audience such as in the backseat of your car. Don’t take no for an answer.

3. Engage Your Kids in the Science of Alcohol - Adolescents are incredibly self-involved. Alcohol can cause memory loss, impair sports performance, incite embarrassing behavior and affect how they feel and look. Make them aware of these facts. If there is a history of alcoholism in your family explain about genetic predispositions towards alcohol abuse.

4. Be Vigilant - There’s no alternative to monitoring your kids. Have an early curfew. Know where they are at all times. Even if you are not home on a weeknight, make sure you can reach your kids by phone. Get to know their new friends and their parents. Find out what their rules and level of engagement are.

5. Learn to Trust Your Child - Now’s the time when all the work you’ve put into creating a value system for your child begins to pay off. Set limits and enforce rules, but remember to give your child room to make his or her decisions, within your comfort zone. Praise them when they do well. It’s worth a thousand words.

The Science Inside Alcohol Project of AAAS is funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

Source: AAAS