What you do and say as a parent can make a real difference in the development of your teens attitude towards alcohol. Understanding the important role you play as a parent can help you to influence your child’s drinking behaviours and strengthen family values.
While different parts of our brain develop at different rates and whether we are male or female (sorry men, but you typically take longer to mature), it is not until we are approximately 25 years old that our brain is fully developed. This means that a teenager’s brain is going through some major constructions as they develop and improve important pathways and systems. Introducing alcohol during this sensitive period of development can cause major damage and change the wiring in a teens brain.
How well the brain works
The physical makeup of the brain
These are the areas that continue to develop during adolescence.
Hover over the markers for more information.
There are three areas of the brain that continue to develop during adolescence:
Responsible for things like complex planning, rational decision making, personality expression and impulse control. Damage to the prefrontal cortex can have life-long consequences for teenagers’ personality and behaviour.
Responsible for our flight or fight instinct, the amygdala plays a key role in our fear response. Changes caused by alcohol during adolescence can increase teens susceptibility to depression and anxiety later in life.
Responsible for memory and learning, damage to this area of the brain can affect a teens capacity to learn and remember new information for the rest of their life.
Adolescents who drink heavily tend to have a smaller prefrontal cortex and hippocampus than their peers who do not drink.
As a parent, it is important to have open lines of communication with your child. Having high quality conversations with you teen not only strengthens family relationships but makes it easier for them to come to you in times of trouble. As your teen matures and is exposed to new and exciting experiences it is only natural for them to become curious about alcohol and alcohol specific discussion are important.
Does your teen know what your attitude towards underage drinking is? Do they know what you expect of their behaviour and what they in turn can expect of you as their parent? Are they clear on what the consequence of any misbehaviour is?
Developing and communicating clear alcohol focussed family expectations with your teen is a good way to ensure that they know exactly how you feel about underage drinking without any hinting or assuming.
Adolescents whose parents communicate a clear disapproval for underage drinking are:
A family agreement is a devised set of family expectations regarding alcohol. Creating the family agreement with your teen is a great way to facilitate conversations regarding alcohol. It also provides your teen with a sense of ownership and accountability as they are made a part of the decision making process. While we have provided you with some ideas, the template is customisable to suit your individual teen and unique family environment.
The number one reason that teens drink is peer pressure. The desire to ‘fit in’ and social pressures from peers are often hard for teens to ignore. When it is someone in their peer group offering the alcohol simply saying ‘no’ is not always easy.
Prepare your teen for peer pressure by coming up with answers they feel comfortable saying in situations where they feel pressured to drink.
Here are a few responses for your teen to consider:
The teenage years are often highly emotional and overwhelming. Some teens may use alcohol to cope with academic or social stress or to alleviate feelings of anxiety or depression. Healthier alternatives to balance your teens mind and body include maintaining a healthy diet, participating in regular physical activity, getting a good night’s sleep, practising mindfulness techniques and confiding in a close friend or adult.
However, sometimes these home remedies may not be sufficient and your teen should seek professional support to help them overcome anxiety and depression.
View a range of professional services available to your teen here.
As teens navigate their way through life, the influential environment (friends, culture, advertising) heavily influences their drinking perceptions. Teens often believe that more people their age are drinking alcohol than actually are. They may also get misinformation from various sources such as friends who assure them that drinking alcohol is perfectly safe. Minimise the risk of misinformation by educating your teen on the facts about alcohol use and its effects on teenagers.
If a teen is bored they are more likely to consider alcohol usage as a fun option. Not only does alcohol give teens something to occupy their time with but it provides a social activity where they can interact and bond with their friends. Have your teen consider what else they could do for fun besides drinking. Most cities have a range of free activities, social groups and sporting clubs for teenagers to join.
Does your teen need some fresh ideas on how to occupy their leisure time?
Teenagers often like to push boundaries and may choose to drink as a way to rebel against rules.
What can you do if your teen is going through a rebellious streak?
A major appeal of alcohol is its ability to give an otherwise shy or self-conscious teenager the confidence and courage to do things they would not normally be comfortable doing, such as dancing at a party or talking to someone of the opposite sex.
So how can you help your teen to find courage and confidence without alcohol?
Teens may begin experimenting with alcohol simply because they want to know what it feels like. Curiosity and experimentation is a normal part of teenage behaviour and having discussion about the dangers of alcohol can help to diminish its attractiveness.
Are you concerned about your child’s drinking or seeking additional advice? There are a range of professional services available throughout Australia that offer support to you or your child.
A confidential, non-judgemental telephone and email information and referral service for anyone seeking help for their own or another person’s alcohol or drug use.
A telephone support service for users, families and carers in crisis due to alcohol and other drug use.
Provides confidential advice about alcohol and other drugs to individuals, family and friends, general practitioners, health professionals, and business and community groups. The hotline will automatically redirect you to the Alcohol and Other Drug Information Service operating in your state or territory.
Provides confidential and professional telephone counselling and support for parents and carers of children. You can talk to their qualified counsellors about anything to do with challenges you’re facing as a parent or issues affecting your family.
Free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25.
How much do you know about alcohol? Grab your teen and test your knowledge in the Alcohol Trivia game. Do you have what it takes to win the million dollars?
The program consists of a 1-hour session for parents which is delivered face-to-face. Developed to be interactive and engaging, the session consists of activities that allow parents to participate in group discussions in an informal and relaxed atmosphere.
The program is organised around four core objectives:
Blurred Minds is about helping parents to better understand the important role they play in their kids drinking behaviours. We are passionate about making a difference and we know that communicating with teens about sensitive issues isn’t easy. Our evidence-based information and practical tips aim to equip you with the knowledge and confidence to guide your teen to be smart about drinking.
