April is Alcohol Awareness Month

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

• Teach your child that abstinence from alcohol is an acceptable lifelong decision and that they
have a right to stand up for a safe academic environment.
• Teach your child that drinking can be risky and to intervene when they see that their classmates
are in trouble.
• If your child is of legal age to drink (21 in all states), explain to them how to use alcohol moderately
(no more than two drinks per day for men, no more than one per day for women) and appropriately
(as a complement to a meal and at social gatherings or during family celebrations).
• If you drink, be sure to set an ongoing healthy example regarding adult alcohol use and never
brag about your use of alcohol or other drugs during your own college years.
• When helping your children to select an appropriate college, be willing to question officials
about campus alcohol policies. The Best Colleges, an annual guide published by the Princeton
Review, groups schools by categories (“Lots of beer,” “Lots of hard liquor,” “Major frat and sorority
scene” and “Stone-cold sober schools”).
• When your children go to college, set clear and realistic expectations regarding academic
performance, and continue to be as interested and involved in their lives as you were when they
were in high school.
• If you are concerned about yourself, a friend or family member, call PEER Services and talk to a member from the counseling team today (847)492-1778.

Posted by, Julia Brownfield, ESAP Coalition Alcohol Committee Chair

esapcoalition.org