BodiMojo Teen Health Blog – Teenage Nutrition, Fitness, Stress, Relationships & More

By Samantha Burns

Summer’s almost halfway over. For teens getting ready for college, it’s a carefree time. Academic responsibilities are done with, for now. Teens want to celebrate their high school graduation and acceptance to college, and spend time with friends from whom they’ll soon separate.

They also might drink more.

So says University of Rhode Island psychology professor and alcohol researcher Mark Wood. But Wood also says that parents can play a big role in minimizing their teens’ drinking.

Woods says that parents can do two things:

• Monitor teens. Know where they are, who they’re with, and what they’re doing. Be emotionally supportive.

• Express clear disapproval about alcohol use—and institute fair consequences if teens break the rules.

“Research shows this combination of factors decreases alcohol use and problems through adolescence and into college,” says Wood. In a recent study, Wood found that teens who were given clear information about the consequences of alcohol use drank less than their peers.

When I was a teenager, my friends’ parents had varying opinions about their teens’ drinking. Some made it explicitly clear that underage drinking was unacceptable, and that their teens would be punished if caught. Others told their kids to call them if they needed a ride home, to prevent drunk driving. And a few allowed their teens to drink, with parental supervision.

I suppose there are pros and cons to each approach. But what seems most important to me is that there should be open communication about drinking between parents and children.

This past year, I worked as a counselor for college students who were caught drinking on their dry campus. Students sent to my office were required to take an assessment to determine if they were at risk for alcohol abuse. I can distinctly remember a handful of cases in which students were caught during their first time drinking, or the first time they drank more than they could handle. What stays with me about these cases is that many of the teens were upset with themselves for disappointing their parents. This confirmed for me that teens listen to, value, and care about what their parents have to say.

Sure, teens are likely to experiment with alcohol as they become more independent. But it doesn’t mean they will completely disregard their parents’ attitudes and expectations. What’s important is that they are indeed hearing important messages from their parents.

So open up those communication lines—it may be just the thing to keep kids from developing future alcohol problems.