Why is Alcohol So Dangerous to Children or Teenagers?
Children have no clue that alcohol is considered a drug and don’t know how to control their consumption. The more they drink the less control they have over the things they might say or do, including sexual assault, rape, have sex, do illict drugs, drive while intoxicated, or get into the car with a friend who has been drinking. Depending on your child’s weight, a small amount of alcohol could make them feel buzzed and become impaired quickly. Parents you don’t want your child to become an addict before they even reach the legal age to drink. Teens also don’t realize that mixing different types of alcohol can make you very ill.
Educate Your Children and Teenager About Alcohol Usage
Teach your child at an early age the dangers of alcohol, binge drinking, legal problems, and the consequences involved. In fact, most driver’s education programs show teenagers a film that clearly visualizes the effects of drinking and driving. I remember my drivers education teach taking us through the local junk yard and showed us a car that was wrapped around the telephone pole due to drinking and driving.
Educate your child so that they learn to say no and won’t give into peer pressure even if it seems like all of the cool kids are doing it. Parents always keep the lines of communication open and monitor your child’s activities. Always let your child know that you will come pick them up, even if they wind up at a party, if they call you. You want to always give them an escape route and give them an opportunity to make the right decision. Most teenagers turn to drugs or alcohol to cover up other problems that they might be going through. If you catch your child drinking, find out why they are drinking.
Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol is a depressant and masks the pain temporarily. Once your teen starts drinking, they will have to continually increase their alcohol intake to maintain the same buzz. Most teenagers don’t realize that the consequences can be pretty steep if they are caught drinking. Watch for the signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse:
- Attendance Problems at School
- Constant Headaches (Resulting from Hangovers)
- Finding Your Child Passed Out
- Blacking Out
- Withdraw and Become Secretive
- Start Hanging Out with Different Friends
- Legal Problems
- Come Home with Injuries and Attempt to Hide The Injuries
- Injure Someone Else
- Give Up Hobbies or Sports
- Unexplained Weight Loss
- Upset Stomach
- Sexually Active Due to Poor Decisions While Consuming Alcohol
- Redness Around Their Nose or Cheeks
- Car Accidents that Involve Alcohol
- Getting Into the Car With Friends Who Have Been Drinking
- Memory Problems
- Possibly Death From Alcohol Poisoning
Should You Consume Alcohol in Front of Your Children?
Parents who openly drink in front of their children can open the door to questions that their children may have about alcohol. When drinking in front of your child, it is important to monitor your own alcohol intake and teach them that it is okay to consume in moderation. I feel that parents who consume too much alcohol and can’t control their own consumption display the wrong image to their children. I realize that some people think it is okay to get legally drunk after their children are in bed; however, drinking too much can impair your ability to hear your child especially if they are young.
Do you consume alcohol in front of your children? How much do you think is too much to consume around your children?
Comments
20 responses to “Should Parents Consume Alcohol Around Children?”
Such great tips! Having two ‘of legal age’ children, one on the cusp (18) and one just starting 7th grade, I really believe in alcohol education as soon as is feasible. Sometimes, it’s younger than you’d want because they see it at a friend’s house before you’ve had a chance to explain it. I remember when my oldest was at a friend’s house many years ago and the dad got belligerently drunk. She made the smart choice to say “I need to run home for a few minutes” and didn’t go back. (We lived across the street from them.) For our home, we believe that education starts at home and I’d rather approach the topic than do the “not in my house!” approach where it is seen as evil and something to test. We do have alcohol at parties or gatherings and have explained at length that drinking does not signify an alcohol problem, that moderation is key, appropriate environment, of course, and that some people can’t even handle that. I personally don’t like to be out of control, so hiding it and doing it at night? Bleh, I don’t drink to get drunk so that wouldn’t work for us. I remember the first night my daughter had a grand mal/tonic clonic seizure and had to be rushed to the hospital via an ambulance. I had taken an over-the-counter sleep aid for the first time ever. What a mistake! I hated the grogginess. I learned then, never go to sleep in a way that makes it difficult to wake up, wide awake, at any point, if at all avoidable.
Yes, you are right Dee you never know when an accident or something will happen while you are impaired. Thank you for sharing your story.
Hi Christy,
A very important question indeed that’s often overlooked I’d add.
Yes, if things are done in moderation in-front of our kids, it’s still alright, or else we really don’t have to drink when they are around because they are very observant if they are small.
Not to mention when they grow up to their teen years, things can become pretty bad if they see their parent drink, as they either may start drinking too, or else it affects them later in their lives.
The key lies to do things in moderation, so that even our kids know it’s sometimes alright to drink, and make it to do so sometimes only, not regularly.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
I rarely drink and I feel that it was what I was accustomed with growing up. My parents only drank occasionally and always taught us that we didn’t need alcohol in order to have a good time.
we rearly drink , but if I do have a wine or a mixed drink at a party my kids see…
Thank you for sharing Pamela.
Yes, if you must have a drink in front of your kids, I guess you should explain to them what alcohol does to the body, etc. And drink moderately. We parents should definitely always try to set a good example to our kids.
Yes, we are responsible to set a good example in front of our children.
Really good points on a touchy subject. Moderation can probably mean something to some and something else to others, but setting the right example is right.
Yes, Courtney you are right.
I don’t see it as an issue to drink alcohol infront of the kids but of course in moderation and to teach them what is acceptable and not.
I agree Dominique thank you for sharing.
I’ve never had the desire to continually drink or don’t understand alcohol abuse but I have witnessed people who have gotten out of control with them. Our children definitely shouldn’t have to witness bad behavior from us, especially if we are trying to mold them into good people.
I don’t get it either Lexie, I personally haven’t been a huge drinker myself.
Great tips. We drink in front of our children, but overall don;t drink very much. I like that we are modeling a healthy view of alcohol.
Thank you for sharing your opinion Tiffany. 🙂
We drink in moderation around our toddler, mainly a beer or wine with dinner. She has begun to notice, in fact she calls wine “red beer”. It makes me feel uncomfortable, but I realize that it isn’t a good idea to shield your children from the things that are so commonplace in our society. I agree with you. I think it’s better to show them how to do things moderately than to hide what they will likely confront all too often as teenagers. Great post!
Thank you for sharing Rachel. I agree it is best for them to see you drink in moderation than to completely hide it from them.
Those are important tips! Friends of ours recently lost their home due to a drunk driver that crashed into it and burned their house down.
My husband and I rarely drink. I grew up with an alcoholic father though who never hid his drinking. He would start drinking from the moment he got home from work in the late afternoon and didn’t stop until bedtime. It was very rough on us kids.
Yikes, I am sorry to hear that your friends had to experience a tragedy because of a drunk driver. That is a crazy story. Thank you for sharing.
I can’t imagine being around someone who constantly feels like they need to drink especially as a child.