Drinkaware – Talking to Your Kids About Alcohol

DID YOU KNOW?

The amount of pure alcohol consumed by drinkers in the UK has increased by 10% since 2000

Parents are the main suppliers of alcohol to 15 – 17 year olds, with 61% of teens who had drunk at home in the last week saying their parents had provided them with the alcohol and 43% saying their family had provided them with alcohol for parties?

Most children would prefer to go to their parents for drinking advice, with 65% saying they’d go to their mum and 51% to their dad

The amount of alcohol consumed affects the person most, not the type of alcoholic drink. A 12 oz beer, a 5 oz glass of wine, and 1.5 oz shot of liquor all contain the same amount of alcohol.

Energy drinks are consumed by 31% of 12 to 17 year olds and 34% of 18 to 24 year olds in the US.

Have you talked to your children about alcohol? The facts above scare me. My kids are 9, 7 & 5 so they aren’t really thinking about alcohol but we have talked about it several times. My husband and I both drink alcohol. I drink once a week or so and my husband drinks a little more often but neither one of us drink to excess.

My main concern is to keep that I want to keep that open dialogue going when they get old enough to be more curious about alcohol. I am concerned that peer pressure in high school will eventually catch up with my children and they will do what I did to my parents. Ask us to provide alcohol.

“In 2010 a survey showed that more than half of parents in the UK who plan to provide their 16 and 17 children with alcohol for a one week holiday would be providing them and their friends with five or more bottles of spirits or wine.”

My parents said no and I will continue to say no to my children. No matter how many time they ask.

Another concern of mine is alcohol and energy drinks. I find this to be a disturbing trend that can seriously hurt people. I thought this from the second they were introduced and would never drink one.

“Mixing energy drinks and alcohol can mask the effects of alcohol, and drinkers who consume a mix of the two are 3 times more likely to binge drink. They are also twice as likely to be sexually taken advantage of. Binge drinking is responsible for over half of the deaths associated with excessive alcohol consumption. According to Alcohol Concern Cymru… alcohol and caffeine are both diuretics the combination can cause dehydration.”

MyDrinkaware is a free app you can use to track drinking: http://unr.ly/HNVJX4 – this totally free app shows you your favorite drinks in amount and calories, helps you track drinking, offers tips and feedback, lets you share with friends and family on Twitter and Facebook and can help you reduce the risk of alcohol-related illness.

You should also look at the ad in this post. It is an interesting way to talk to your child about alcohol.

Check it out. Use it. And most importantly, talk to your kids. TODAY.

This post has been sponsored by Drinkaware. All thoughts are my own.