FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE

Teenagers and Alcohol:  What you need to know

Adolescence is a time of trying new things – and for some young people, this includes trying alcohol. When it comes to teenagers and alcohol, it’s important to get informed and have some strategies ready to help your child avoid the risks of alcohol use.

For many young people, trying alcohol is a normal part of growing up. Teenagers will often look to their friends and family or even the media for cues about how to behave when it comes to drinking alcohol. 

Alcohol is the most commonly used and most damaging drug among young people. It’s also the drug of choice for Australians of all ages.

Drinking alcohol for young people:  what’s safe?

The short answer is nothing. There’s just no safe level of alcohol use for young people under 18 years.

When young people drink, there’s a risk that their brains won’t develop properly. Alcohol can interrupt brain development and even cause mild impairment.

Also, the earlier in life young people start drinking, the greater their risk of alcohol-related problems in early adulthood and beyond. Young people who start drinking before they’re 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than young people who don’t start drinking until they’re 21.

Decision-making:

One of the most important tasks of adolescence is learning how to make independent, responsible decisions. Some of these decisions will be good and some not so good – making mistakes and learning from them is all part of the process. But when people are drinking alcohol, mistakes can have very serious consequences. 

For example, a young person under the influence of alcohol could:

• be the victim of physical or verbal violence, or be violent 
• have unprotected sex, or not be able to deal with unwanted sexual advances and be sexually assaulted
• experience hallucinations or delusions that could lead to accidents or injury
• get alcohol poisoning and lose consciousness or die
• be injured while swimming, playing sport, climbing, or even trying to cross a road
• break the law or get into trouble with the police
• lose control, behave inappropriately and harm important relationships or damage her reputation.

How to influence your child’s use of alcohol:

You and other significant adults are a major influence on your child’s use of alcohol.

Role-modelling You’re unlikely to be able to stop your child from trying alcohol, but you can be a role model for safe habits. For example, you can send your child powerful messages about alcohol by drinking occasionally, in moderation and in company. Even the way you talk about alcohol and other drugs sends a message. For example, you might think about what your child hears when an adult says something like, ‘I need a drink – I had a shocking day at work’.

Safety messages:

You can help your child avoid the risks of alcohol use by talking about safe alcohol use, including:

• drinking in a safe environment and avoiding unsafe environments 
• how to deal with peer pressure about alcohol or binge drinking
• not binge-drinking
• not drinking and driving
• not drinking on an empty stomach, and alternating alcoholic drinks with water
• not getting involved in drinking games
• setting up a non-drinking buddy system
• alcohol laws and the potential consequences for breaking them

Your child also needs to know the size of a standard drink. One glass or one small bottle of drink is often more than one standard drink. The number of standard drinks is shown on the label – for example, on a bottle of beer.

National Guidelines:

National guidelines for alcohol consumption have been developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council and are based on the most current and best available scientific research and evidence.The risk of accidents, injuries, violence and self-harm are high among drinkers aged under 18. Young people who drink are more prone to risky and antisocial behaviour than older drinkers.

What do the guidelines recommend?

• Children under 15 years of age are at the greatest risk of harm from drinking
• Not drinking in this age group - under 15 years - is especially important
• For young people aged 15 to 17 years, the safest option is to delay drinking for as long as possible

References: www.alcohol.gov.au, www.raisingchildren.net.au