Alcohol Abuse Prevention

The use of alcohol is one of the biggest problems young people are facing today.  If you are concerned that your child has been using alcohol, call Stepping Stone's 24-hour helpline, toll-free, at 1-800-763-1562.  Operators are standing by day and night to take your confidential call and provide you with the alcohol abuse prevention tips you need.

Alcoholism Prevention Starts with Parents

As a parent, there are a number of things you can do to prevent your child from using alcohol.  Although these alcoholism prevention tips do not guarantee your child will refrain from using alcohol, they can influence your child's decision to drink.  These tips include:

• Not using alcohol yourself
• Providing guidance and clear rules about not using alcohol
• Spending time with your child sharing the good and bad times

Since much of what children learn about alcohol comes from parents, it's important to take a few minutes to answer the following questions about your feelings and behaviors towards alcohol:

• Do you usually offer alcoholic drinks to friends and family when they come to your house?
• Do you use alcohol in a way that you would not want your child to?
• Are you proud about how much you can drink?
• Do you make jokes about getting drunk?
• Do you go to parties that involve a lot of drinking?
• Do you drink and drive or ride with drivers who have been drinking?
• Has your child ever seen you drunk?
• Do you let minors drink alcohol in your home?

Ten Alcohol Abuse Prevention Tips for Parents

Any parent can guide their child's thoughts and behaviors about alcohol with these ten alcohol abuse prevention tips:

• Talk with your child honestly about alcohol abuse facts and be clear about family rules.
• Listen to your child, encouraging him or her to share questions and concerns about alcohol use.
• Help your child build self-confidence by looking for the good in them, reminding them of how proud you are while praising their efforts and successes.
• Help your child develop strong family values.
• Set a good example for your child by evaluating your own thoughts about alcohol.
• Help your child with peer pressure and acceptance issues by discussing the importance of being an individual and by understanding the meaning of real friendship.
• Make family rules that help your child say "no" such as not being able to use the car if they get caught drinking.
• Encourage your child to get involved in healthy, creative activities such as athletics, hobbies and school clubs to reduce boredom and excess free time.
• Team up with other parents to build an alcohol-free environment for your children.
• Know what to do if your child develops a drinking problem by learning the alcohol abuse symptoms and realize that no child is immune to alcohol abuse.

With these alcohol abuse prevention tips, parents can educate themselves enough to influence their child's decision about drinking.  Our 24-hour helpline can assist you in finding additional information about alcohol abuse.  Call Stepping Stone Center for Recovery now, toll-free, at 1-800-763-1562 for free and confidential assistance.