The ill-effects of alcohol and getting addicted at a young age are drastic, and they might spoil the future of teenagers completely. As such, parents must have an open-hearted discussion about alcohol consumption with their kids and teach them the various ill effects of alcohol from a young age.
Parental advice: a balancing act
Parents know their teenage kids always face the risk of tasting alcohol or getting addicted to other drugs at a young age. Parents should build a trustworthy bond with their children to discuss alcohol abuse and the related health and concentration issues it can cause in the future.
Although parents should monitor their children’s activities, it’s important to not become too controlling, as this could actually push some kids further towards drugs and alcohol.
Persuading teenagers to be responsible
Parenting is a huge duty, a project which lasts for a lifetime, and handling teenagers is a challenging trapeze walk. Making teenagers understand their parent’s advice has meaning and encouraging them to follow it is not easy. As such, parental tips regarding alcohol should not be coercive, but instead conversational.
If your kid is attending a party, ask them what they plan to do if offered alcohol or drugs instead of ordering them to be careful. Remind them that refusing such stuff straight to the face of their friends is not ‘uncool’, but instead a way of establishing healthy boundaries. Give them the freedom to handle the situation, but make it clear that it is illegal to consume alcohol before a certain age.
Advice regarding long-term consequences
Parental advice is important because nobody cares for teens more than their parents. Child psychologists stress that parents should talk and discuss the long-term health and financial issues of alcohol addiction as no smartphone or television will educate them about such problems. Indeed, most advertising shows alcohol use in a positive life, which can send mixed messages to young teens.
Even though teens have heard plenty of advice about drunk driving and health issues through school programs, it’s important to regularly reinforce potential dangers, such as:
- Getting arrested for underage drinking
- Hurting someone by drinking and driving
- Losing concentration and getting bad grades on exams and homework
- Temper issues alcohol addiction can create
- Health issues due to chronic overdrinking
- Health issues due to combining drugs and alcohol
- Risky behaviors due to impaired judgment, such as catching STDs from needles or unprotected sex
Remember that addiction is a disease
It’s important to remember that no one sets out to become an alcohol addict. Teenagers are curious to try everything, as life is a big adventure for them. That’s why many teenagers try drinking – by hanging out with friends and simple leisure, thinking it is a one-time thing and they won’t touch it again. Some also drink because their friends do, and they want to look cool among others.
Whatever the cause, addiction is a disease and needs to be treated like any other chronic illness. Parents should guide their teenagers to overcome alcohol addiction by standing by their side instead of chastising them.
Get treatment promptly if your teen is addicted
Alcohol addiction is no joke, and thousands of teens go to rehab to fight addiction every year. Parental care and advice play a significant role in guiding teenagers towards living a safe and sober life.
Teens can get treatment at inpatient centers, but these are often in other cities, far removed from their usual support network. Fortunately, you can get in-home alcohol detox in San Francisco and other cities with Elite Home Detox, HeartWood Detox, and AddictionDetoxSF.
In-home detox brings all the same services and quality of care as a traditional inpatient facility, but without the need to upend school or work in order to get treatment. This treatment option is not only a time-saver, but it is more effective than standard 12-step programs as each treatment plan is tailored to the individual. Plans also help teens develop the tools they need to identify drinking use triggers and employ healthy coping mechanisms to prevent relapse for good.
