UPC Shares Alcohol And Drug Prevention Tips For Teens

From The Unified Prevention Coalition: From Prevention is key, as a recently released U.S. surgeon general's report notes, and keeping teens in particular from trying drugs and alcohol vastly lowers the likelihood of addiction later on. Use this holiday time to talk with your child about drinking and drugs [see parent tips from the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County (UPC)]. Did you know that on an average December day 11,000 young people across the country have their first drink?

UPC’s Youth Council members have been doing their part to prevent underage drinking this holiday season by taking part Dec. 15 in Project Sticker Shock, a community awareness program designed to prevent people 21 and older from purchasing alcohol and providing it to underage individuals. Accompanied by Fairfax County Police Department school resource officers, 24 Youth Council members visited nine Giant locations in five Fairfax County cities. In Centreville, they were joined by members of the Grace Community Center Korean Youth Group. This Virginia ABC educational program is a favorite of the Youth Council, as it brings together local retailers, consumers, valued police department, adult sponsors for each team, and the youth.

Tis the Season To Talk With Your Teens About Drinking And Drugs

It’s the holiday season when family and friends gather to celebrate together. It’s also a time when many teens find the opportunity to experiment and use alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Many teens report that they obtain the alcohol they drink, marijuana they smoke, or prescription medicines (opioids) they try from siblings, their parents’ or friends’ homes, or older friends, with or without their knowledge. From teen and emergency room reports, we know teens and young adults combine these drugs without realizing their increased harmful consequences.

Parents are still the strongest influencers in their children’s lives. Among 10-18 year olds, 65 percent cite their parents as the leading influence for them not to drink. Other adults also can positively protect youth from making bad choices over these holidays. Help make this holiday season safe for teens by following these tips compiled by the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County:

• Make time to talk with your children. The holidays are a time to reconnect as a family. Make sure they understand the risks of underage drinking, marijuana use and other drug use.
• Educate your family on the risks associated with underage drinking and its proven harmful effects on the brain. The legal drinking age is 21, and students who wait until then are 84 percent less likely to develop an addiction than those who start earlier.
• Make it clear to your child(ren) that you do NOT approve of their drinking alcohol or using other drugs. Start with your 6th, 7th and 8th graders as experimenting starts during these years -- on an average December day across the nation, more than 11,000 young people, aged 12 to 17, will use alcohol for the first time. For high school students and those returning home from college, you likely will need to remind them of your expectations.
• Ensure that alcohol, marijuana or other substances will not be available at parties your teen attends. Check in with other parents to verify there will be parental supervision, and that events will be alcohol- and marijuana-free.
• Be vigilant in your own home about NOT providing access to alcohol or other drugs. Be sure to lock up your liquor cabinet when you are away. If you host a party in your own home for adults, keep an eye on the alcohol and teens at the party.
• Know that an adult who provides alcohol or other drugs to a minor is breaking the law and risking that teen’s life.
• Secure other cabinets and make sure all your and your guests’ prescriptions are secure. Be aware of the dangers of prescription medicine misuse from opioid-based painkillers. Sadly, both nationally and in Fairfax County, there is an epidemic of prescription medicine misuse and heroin use leading to overdosing.

Please help protect your child’s bright future by providing a safe, alcohol- and drug-free season of celebrations for your son or daughter. See www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org for more information.

Images Courtesy Of Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County