Drugs and Alcohol and your Teen

As we head into the Christmas party season, what is your stance on letting your kids have a drink of alcohol? Is it better to let your children have a drink at home under parental supervision, so that you can ensure their safety? Research done in this area does not support this approach, however well intentioned it is.  Paul Dillon from Drug Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA), says the following:

• delay your child’s first drink of alcohol for as long as possible
• be honest about your own alcohol use and be a good role model
• create rules and boundaries
• create meaningful consequences
• make sure your child knows that rules are negotiable as they get older

The DARTA website has useful and practical information, with fact sheets for parents, teens and teachers.  There is also a great section on schoolies/leavers for teens and for parents.  Paul Dillon speaks at many of our high schools providing drug and alcohol education for teens and we highly recommend visiting this website (link below) and discussing the information openly with your teen.