Parents are Key to Preventing Underage Drinking

Have you told your children you disapprove of underage drinking?  Over 70% of children say parents are the leading influence in their decision to drink alcohol or not.  However, just over 1/3 of District 113 middle and high school students (36% and 34% respectively) say that their parents either didn't talk or they don't remember their parents talking with them about not using alcohol.*

April is Alcohol Awareness month, and as prom and graduation season approaches, Parents. The Anti-Drug, encourages you to take the time to educate yourself, your children, and other loved ones about the dangers of underage drinking and alcohol abuse. 

The teenage brain is still developing. The areas of the brain that encourage risk-taking develop early in a teen, while the areas that improve self-control don't develop until the later teens or early twenties. Alcohol use can cause serious damage to the still developing parts of the brain that control motor coordination, impulse control, memory, judgment, and decision-making capacity. 

These impairments can create a false sense of security and feelings of invincibility when teens engage in risky behaviors, such as drinking and/or drug use. Consider these facts: 

• Teens who drink are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors and physical violence.
• More than 67% of young people who start drinking before the age of 15 will try an illicit drug.
• 40% of all alcohol-related fatalities are caused by teens drinking and driving.
• Teens who begin drinking at age 13 have a 45 percent chance of becoming alcohol dependent, while those who delay drinking until age 21 only have a 7 percent chance.

You are the most important influence in your child's life.  Talk early and talk often to your kids about the risks of alcohol use and set clear rules and expectations. Starting the conversation with your kids and keeping communication open isn’t always easy – but it’s not as difficult as you may think.  Parents. The Anti-Drug is here to provide the support, facts, and resources you may need - visit our website at www.parentstheantidrug.org for more information, and to sign up for our monthly email newsletters.  “Like” us on Facebook to receive even more helpful information.  

Parents. The Anti-Drug is a community based organization comprised of parents, local government, school officials, clergy, and experts in substance abuse prevention whose mission is to generate conversation and provide accurate information about alcohol, tobacco and other drug use in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Highwood, Highland Park, and Riverwoods.  

Parents. The Anti-Drug is funded by grants from the Healthcare Foundation of Highland Park and The Community Foundation of Highland Park.  Additional funding is received from municipalities, service organizations, and individual donors.

For more information , please visit www.parentstheantidrug.org or email parents.theantidrug@gmail.com.

*Data from the 2010 Illinois Youth Survey.  Middle school data = 6^th and 8^th grade survey information.  High school data = 10^th and 12^th grade information.