Teens Recommend Environmental Strategies

The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro, MA is reporting that teens recommend environmental strategies to help them not drink:

When asked what parents could do to prevent them from drinking and other risky behavior, teens said parents could limit their child's participation in overnight parties, wait up for a teen to return from a date or party and call parents of the party's host in advance to make sure it will be well-supervised. Oddly enough, teens also said parents could help by establishing rules and consequences for breaking them, coupled with punishment, if needed.

The article also encourages parents to avoid the "myth of inevitability"—assuming that they’re not going to be able to stop their kids from drinking.

The 21 Reasons website offers resources on both Myths & Realities of underage drinking, and has suggestions for what parents and community members can do to prevent it. Click on the links below for access to these documents

Myths vs. Realities (.pdf)

So What Can I Do? (.pdf)

"I shouldn't have done it because I was not sober"

One of the many risks for underage drinking is unintended sexual contact.


Several young people described this experience during a recent Real Life. Real Talk. event.

Click on the logo below to see the clip from the "It's okay. You can say it." campaign, in which community members were invited to talk about what they wished someone had told them about sex:

Tip of the Month: November Mythbuster

• Did you know?
  MYTH: “It’s better for kids to start drinking young so they can learn how to handle it.”
  REALITY: The adolescent brain is still developing—especially the part of the brain that deals with decision making. This places kids at a higher risk for academic failure, depression, suicide, sexual assault, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infection, and other substance abuse. Younger drinkers are also more likely to develop alcohol dependence.
  
  
  
• Do you have a minute this month? When your teen is going out for the evening, take a minute to remind them about your family’s rules and consequences of underage drinking.
  
  
  
• Want to learn more? Visit our website at www.21reasons.org