Those parties that your child’s friends host, Friday night football games, and unsupervised road trips can be enough to make you worry about all the hazards your child will face. It’s also enough to make you ask: Is your teenager drinking? After all, most of us remember what it was like to be a teen, and when we reflect on some of the incidents we pulled off, it can be hard to believe that your child hasn’t been out there in the world doing something you don’t want them to. Teenage drinking is one of the top three concerns that keep parents up at night, worrying and wondering.
It doesn’t help that many of the superstars our kids today find so appealing have had issues with drinking and drugs themselves. We already know that our kids tend to look up to celebrities as role models. As we watched the headlines recently show one disturbing drunkard photograph after another, didn’t most of us wonder what impact it might have on our kids? Even teens who aren’t influenced by the Britneys and Lindseys of yesterday’s news still experience some degree of desensitization when stories of excessive drinking are plastered all over the headlines in the entertainment industry.
Addressing the Concern of Teenage Drinking
Of course, a certain amount of anti-drinking campaigns and student education can help. As much as kids will zone out or spout off information as though they’ve heard it too much and already “get it,” the more they hear it, the more we combat desensitization. Local jails, police facilities, and even some morgues offer some shocking, true-life reality checks that show the downside of drinking. Because of the often gruesome results, most experts suggest holding off on this tactical effort to prevent teen drinking unless you are dealing with an alcoholic, and all other intervention attempts have failed.
But wait, you say. I haven’t answered yes to the question yet. Why go straight for hardline prevention methods if I’m not even sure? Good point, but bear with me. Prevention is always necessary. For about 75% to 85% of high school kids over the age of 14, the question isn’t, “Is your teenager drinking?” but rather, “How much has your teenager had to drink?” Drinking, like drugs, is a rampant problem among today’s youth. Most kids have had at least something to drink from time to time. And it doesn’t just happen when they are out with their friends. Many teenagers have admitted to drinking at parties their own parents have either attended or thrown, with a room full of grown-ups (parents included) somehow missing the punch in their hands. It’s not uncommon for kids to try a few shots and use that “water down the vodka” trick on a snow day or after school, just out of curiosity. Just like when you tell your daughter her boyfriend is off-limits, when we make something so taboo but the opportunity still presents itself, childlike curiosity often wins out.
Does that mean you have to rush your teenager to the nearest morgue to witness the effects of drunk driving? Of course not. My goodness, didn’t we do at least as much when we were kids? It means that we need to have a realistic approach to our children as they start to grow up. They now have the ability to think through sophisticated plans and leap through tremendous hoops to get what they want, but they still have enough innocent thinking to believe that there won’t be any harsh consequences—unless they get caught. There is a big difference between curiosity drinking and habitual drinking. Yes, your child has probably swigged some of the whiskey if you keep it in the house and ultimately found out that there is no good reason to enjoy the taste or the burn on its way down. But kids who drink regularly are struggling with a much larger demon than curiosity. Knowing the difference is crucial to determining whether or not your child is developing a drinking problem.
Kids with drinking problems show definite signs. Poor school attendance and performance, staying out all night on a regular basis, sleeping half the day away even when obligations are calling, and developing a strong, resentful attitude are just some of the more obvious characteristics of a teenage drinker. Additionally, there are usually physical signs, most of which you can smell. The aroma of alcohol doesn’t just leave the body. It can come through the pores via sweat, be smelled on the breath, and even through almost any type of body excrement. Peppermint breath can also be a sign that your child is drinking. It’s no secret anymore that a swig or two of peppermint schnapps can cover up the breath of some of the most offensive drinking binges.
Talk to your kids often. Ask questions and probe a bit further, even if they don’t like you much for it at the time. Stick to your gut if you can’t shake the suspicion. Because alcoholic behavior sets in so quickly, it’s not that hard to remove the chance of any alcoholic substance entering your child’s body. Often, just taking your child away on vacation for a week that restricts their ability to receive even just one drink can be enough to witness the agitation and withdrawal symptoms that can strike even a mild regular drinker. Of course, don’t forget that you’ll have to check their belongings to make sure they didn’t bring any along for their own personal enjoyment. Kids who drink moderately to heavily will have a strong reaction to not being able to get their fix and will often make bold attempts to buy or steal what they are looking for.
Most kids who drink, even only on rare occasions, would like the chance to talk about it. Some kids are scared, have questions, and are aware enough of the consequences to be fearful for themselves. Being open in your dealings with your child is the number one way to ask the question: Is your teenager drinking? Probably at least every once in a while. Do they have any drinking-related issues that are developing? Getting them to open up and talk about it isn’t always as hard as it seems. Give it a go from time to time. The results may surprise you.
