You want to know how many drinks I had last night? I mean, I have no idea. They told me about all this wild stuff I did. But I don’t remember any of it. I guess it must have been really wild.
An unfortunate part of drinking behavior is that as they move through adolescence and young adulthood, the amount of heavy drinking – often binge drinking - becomes more common among those who drink.
Binge drinking is really bad. You do want to talk to your kids about it. Let them know that:
Binge drinking has all of the potential problems that go with drinking, but dramatically more so. With binge drinking they significantly put themselves at risk for:
Bodily harm
- Brain damage even death from alcohol poisoning
- Serious injury even death from car accidents
Engaging in behavior that later on they will really regret
- Wrecking a college career
- Serious legal trouble
- Lasting health effects
Let them know that most people their age are not binge drinking. In fact, 83% of 12-20 year olds are not binge drinking and among college students 68% are not.
If they’re going away to school:
- Talk to them before they go.
- Help them to understand ways that they can help themselves and their friends to be safe while in school..
- Once they’ve left, continue to communicate with them frequently. Stay involved and be supportive about the positive aspects of college life..
Learn more about high-risk drinking in our Parents, You’re Not Done Yet brochure
Give them the Facts:
Related Topics and Research:
- Communications Strategies For College Binge Drinking Prevention
- Text Messaging as an Intervention
- Student Drinker Types
- Campus Police Approaches to Overconsumption
- Understanding Teen Drinking Cultures
- Parents, You’re Not Done Yet Brochure (PDF)
Other Parent’s Corners:
