Preventing Underage Drinking: Parent Empowerment at its Best

“What parents may not realize is that children say parental disapproval of underage drinking is the key reason they have chosen not to drink.”

-Charles Curie, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The San Rafael Alcohol Compliance Team (ACT) is working alongside other Marin community coalitions helping to reduce underage drinking. In the process we come along best practice examples from other communities.  Below is useful information and amazing short videos from an innovative parent empowerment campaign from the state of Utah to help you start a conversation with your young person about the consequences of alcohol.

What can parents do?

First, they can learn and explain how alcohol can damage their child’s brain and increase the risk of addiction. (Click here for info, or click here to download a complete lesson on how alcohol can harm brain development.) Then, parents can apply the following three research-proven skills that help prevent underage drinking:

1. Bonding: Children who feel close to their parents are less likely to drink.
2. Boundaries: Parents need to set clear rules and expectations about no underage drinking.
3. Monitoring: Knowing where your children are, who they're with and what they are doing helps prevent underage drinking.
   

Videos about underage drinking: http://parentsempowered.org/videos

Source: http://parentsempowered.org/

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD: HOW DO YOU TALK ABOUT ALCOHOL WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE? Please start the conversation and answer this question in the comment stream below! 

For more information please visit
https://www.facebook.com/SanRafaelACT. 

Stay tuned for more information on ACT and how you can get involved!