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Parents. The Anti-Drug
Bannockburn, Deerfield, Highland Park, Highwood, and Riverwoods |
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It's easy?
We can change that!
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| Greetings! | |
While parent-child conversations about not drinking are essential, talking isn't enough. As kids become teens, their opportunities and pressures to drink becomes almost constant. Teens need help to stay alcohol-free. Research strongly shows that active, supportive involvement by parents and guardians can help teens avoid underage drinking and prevent later alcohol misuse.
And staying involved isn't easy. Parents are busier than ever before, with work, managing a home, keeping in touch with family and friends, and helping in the community. Yet making the extra effort to stay closely involved by bonding, setting boundaries and monitoring will make a powerful difference in keeping your child alcohol-free. |
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The problem is often underestimated | |
In our community, drinking begins as early as elementary school, and parents are often unaware of their child's use of alcohol. According to the 2010 Illinois Youth Survey, most teens in our community reported that it is easy to get alcohol. (82% of 12th graders, 65% of 10th graders, and 34% of 8th graders) Where do they get alcohol?? The most reported sources were from friends, at a party, or from parents or other adults either with or without permission.
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| It's Easy? We can change that!
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Here are some tips to reducing teens access to alcohol:
- Monitor the alcohol supply in the home. Always keep alcohol locked up and away from your kids and their friends. Regularly check your alcohol supply and be aware of tricks teens may use such as replacing alcohol with water.
- Connect with other parents. Getting to know other parents can make it easier for you to call the parent of a teen who is having a party/get-together to be sure that a responsible adult will be present and that alcohol will not be available. You will likely discover that other parents share your concerns!
- Never provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. It's against the law and it's dangerous.
- Establish family rules about underage drinking. When parents establish clear "no alcohol" rules and expectations, their children are less likely to begin drinking. Some possible rules to include are: Kids will not drink alcohol until they are 21, kids will not stay at parties where alcohol is served, kids will not ride in a car with a driver that has been drinking, and older siblings will not encourage younger brothers or sisters to drink and will not give them alcohol.
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Project Sticker Shock |  To coincide with Alcohol Awareness Month in April and the upcoming prom and graduation seasons, parent volunteers from Parents. The Anti-Drug, with support from the local governments and police departments of Bannockburn, Deerfield, Highland Park, Highwood, and Riverwoods, conducted "Project Sticker Shock" to help keep alcohol out of the hands of those under the age of 21.
The "Sticker Shock" campaign involved parent volunteers collaborating with local liquor retailers to post bottle hangers, window clings, and posters in their stores that encourage parents to monitor alcohol in their home, make sure teens can't access it, and to not provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 21.
So far thirteen stores have participated in "Project Sticker Shock" with Parents. The Anti-Drug. For more information on this effort, click here. |
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Parents. The Anti-Drug
Parents. The Anti-Drug is funded by grants from the Healthcare Foundation of Highland Park and The Community Foundation of Highland Park. Additional funding is received from municipalities, service organizations, and individual donors. |
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