Talking To Your Kids About Alcohol

Whether you drink alcohol or not, your kids are going to see it. Alcohol advertisements are all over tv, magazines, billboards and online. People are drinking in restaurants, at concerts and sporting events, in parks, even at the movies now. Children see people drinking on tv and in movies and the radio isn’t booze-free either. People are constantly talking or singing about drinking alcohol. With all this exposure, it’s natural for kids to be curious about alcohol.

When it comes to alcohol, a very important part of keeping your kids safe is talking to them and educating them about it. If you are thinking about having that conversation – awesome! Talking to your kids about alcohol and what responsible, moderate drinking looks like is vital. Even though it may seem like your kids listen to anyone but you, parents still have an enormous impact on how they think and what choices they make.

Before starting the conversation, it helps to prepare yourself. Know what responsible, moderate drinking looks like and be prepared to answer their questions and get them to ask more! The DrinkSenseAB.ca website is a great resource; it has a section specific to parents of teens.

When talking to your kids about alcohol, ensure they feel comfortable, and don’t turn it into a lecture. Make sure they aren’t distracted and are actually listening to you, especially your teenagers (putting the phone down), because as we all know, teens aren’t always paying attention.

How should you start a conversation about drinking alcohol? A great way is waiting for it to come up naturally. With all the ways alcohol is part of our society, it’s easy to find a time when you can slip it into your conversation. If you’re having a glass of wine, your favourite cocktail or beer, with supper, start the conversation. Talk about how eating and drinking slowly will help to make sure you stay in control. If you’re at home watching television and someone on the screen is drinking alcohol or drunk, during a commercial break, ask them what they think about it.

When you’re at a sporting event and people are drinking alcohol, during a break in the game, start the conversation. Discuss how alcohol could affect the fan’s behaviour due to overconsumption. When you’re in the car, and a song about drinking alcohol plays, talk about impaired driving and making smart choices.

The main thing to remember is that it’s important to have the conversation. These talks can start before your children are teenagers. Even if your kid says you’ve talked about it before, have the conversation again, and again. There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to alcohol consumption, and kids need reminders as they grow up and face new situations.

Although it may seem like alcohol is “everywhere”, it’s not intended for children. As with any product that can harm a child when consumed, it’s important to keep it out of their reach. If you have alcohol at home, consider locking it up in a cabinet or a cupboard with a child-safety device, depending on the age of your kids. Many wine fridges come with locks, for those that don’t, you can buy a fridge lock. Safety doesn’t have to be complicated.