One out of every two eighth graders has tried alcohol.
If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
The facts are startling for alcohol and tweens—children between ages 9–13 (fourth through eighth grades)…
One out of every two eighth graders has tried alcohol.
The first use of alcohol typically begins at age 12.
Seven in 10 young teens say that alcohol is easy to get.
Almost half of youth who begin drinking before age 14 later become alcohol dependent.
Even though these statistics are alarming, parents can do a lot to help tweens avoid alcohol. Many young people say that parental disapproval of underage drinking is the key reason they have chosen not to drink alcohol.
Many parents don’t realize how much they can change or improve their children’s lives, especially for tweens. However, parental involvement can be the safety net that protects tweens from drinking during the preteen years—years that can be confusing and difficult.
The Tween Years
As tweens take their first steps from childhood to adulthood they often face a number of challenges. Tweens may find it hard to shift smoothly from elementary to middle school. New friends and settings provide social opportunities but also can create pressure as tweens try to fit in. Physical and emotional changes often bring an urge for independence and new experiences. Tweens may also begin to think that their base of parental support is weakening, and increasingly they may turn to the media, such as magazines, newspapers, and television, as well as their peers for cues on how to behave.
Communication With Parents
Youth are much more likely to delay drinking when they have a strong and supportive relationship with a parent or guardian. Open and trusting communication is a vital part of such a relationship. Opening the lines of communication can start with many questions or comments. The following are examples:
Encourage children to talk about their interests and activities and how they would like you to support those interests.
Ask questions—ones that require more than a yes or no answer—so that children can tell you what they feel and how they
manage emotions such as anger or intimidation.
Start short conversations about the dangers of alcohol. Short frequent conversations are far more effective than a lecture.
Ask your tween what he thinks about teen drinking.
According to a national survey, teen perceptions of immorality, harm to health, and parental disapproval are far more powerful deterrents to teen drinking and smoking than legal restrictions on the purchase of alcohol and cigarettes.
Set clear “no use” rules (PDF) about drinking because children are less likely to drink when parents establish firm “no alcohol” rules. These rules could include instructions such as:
Not riding with any friends or peers who have been drinking
Not staying at parties where alcohol is being served
Not giving, asking, or taking alcohol from brothers or sisters.
Best Wishes and Lot’s of Love,
Arthur Buchanan
Out of Darkness & Into the Light
209 Ellis Ave. Suite 1313
Bellevue, Ohio44811
567-217-1133 (Home)
They are calling Arthur Buchanan’s methods of recovering from mental illness REVOLUTIONARY! (MEDICALCOLLEGE OF MICHIGAN) ‘Arthur Buchanan has given us a revolutionary blue print for recovery in these uncertain times, when Mental Illness at a all time high in the United States of America, yet if you follow this young mans methods, we assure you of positive results and I QUOTE ‘If these methods are followed precisely, their is no way you can’t see positive results with whatever illness you have’ -Dr. Herbert Palos Detroit, Michigan
Listen to Arthur Buchanan on the Mike Litman Show!
LISTEN TODAY!
www.freesuccessaudios.com/Artlive.mp3
www.out-of-darkness.com www.biologicalhappiness.com
www.adhdandme.com www.mentalillnessandme.com
Starting Jan. 1St Me and My Dr Leland Heller, Will Have a Free
CD Out, Totally Free All You Have to Do Is Pay The Shipping
And Handling Charges.
This Is This My Drs. Leland Heller’s Website
The People That Have Listened To This Free CD Have Told Us
That We Should Charge $147 for This Groundbreaking CD,
You Will Never Forgive Yourself If You Pass This Up, Run Don’t
Walk To Get This Groundbreaking CD, It Will Literally Change
The Way You Look At Mental Health!!!
Jan. 1st We Will Be Offering a Free Newsletter From My
Doc. And I, We Will Answer 5 of The Most Pressing Questions
A Month and We Will List Them On The Websites, So Get Your Free CD.
Save a Life Yours!!
Tags
Symptoms of Substance Dependence
