Keep Your Kids Away From Booze
As a counselor for both in class and online alcohol awareness classes I often discuss the efforts of parents to keep booze out of their children's lives. This can be quite an consuming conversation as often I have minors in class taking a minor in possession class (Mip class).
Keep Your Kids Away From Booze
Bombarded by Booze
Let's face it - today kids are unmistakably bombarded with alcohol in their lives. This is true even if their parents do not drink or have alcohol in the home. There are two original arteries for the dissemination of alcohol in our kids' lives.
Feeling Right at Home
The arsenal of alcoholic imagery begins right in your living room. Know where? You probably guessed right - the boob tube! As the father of two pre-teen children I am hyper-aware of the non-stop advertisements for alcohol on television.
As a sports fan, these ads are especially important on Espn and during all televised sporting events. It seems like every third ad is for alcohol with at least one of the other two for chips or junk food.
Hit With the Hard Stuff
For years the only alcohol ads on television were for beer and wine. Now it is no holds barred when it comes to alcohol advertising as hard liquor ads are practically as frequent as beer commercials. Each year alcohol fellowships spend hundreds of millions of dollars chasing the billion per year alcohol sales. It is estimated that advertises spend practically billion per year in all media advertising which includes print and radio, as well as Tv.
In nearly every explore study conducted, teens admit to having more definite attitudes and feelings about alcohol after viewing the ads on television.
The Answer
The retort is uncomplicated - less television. You are not going to read too many articles where the author supports watching more Tv. This is without fail the case with alcohol. during one game of the Nba championship there were 65 advertisements for alcohol!
Keep the alcohol ads off the Tv if possible. By that I mean do not watch channels where these ads appear. Watch more Pbs and family television. If you are watching sports, try muting the Tv or change the channel altogether during the commercials to keep the ads at bay.
Bombardment Away From Home
You can do everything in your power to keep alcohol and images of alcohol away from your children, yet the bombardment all the time will continue. Peers are the second original source that disseminates alcohol to your children.
Even if you home school your children, they are going to come in perceive with other kids. Maybe it is at soccer, or karate, ballet or theater. Even church is not a safe place from being exposed to talk about alcohol.
Peer Pressure
As your children are more exposed to alcohol they may begin to feel more comfortable about talking about it and ultimately trying it. Peer pressure is listed as the whole one reason why a child takes his first drink. There is no denying peer pressure is gift and will find its way to your child. So how do you safe against peer pressure?
The Answer
The retort here is uncomplicated - education. There is no doubt that our kids are exposed to plenty of anti-drug and alcohol propaganda. Having the "Just Say No" and other programs are great. But is it enough?
Let me be blunt - there is no such thing as too much education. Your kids may have teachers and principals and see signs for not doing drugs or drinking booze, but that unmistakably is not enough. The propaganda in the other direction from advertising alone can squash the minimal advertising the "saying no" programs get. Add peer pressure and the scale becomes heavily weighted in favor of alcohol.
You need to have open dialogue about your beliefs about alcohol. You need to talk to your children and educate them on your course with respect to alcohol - and that course must be that you do Not condone its consumption - ever.
You have a lot more work on over your children's behavior that a school instructor or guidance counselor warning them to stay away from alcohol. You cannot harp on this subject too often. You need to bombard them with definite images and words of support, encouragement and education. That is Your power!
Alcohol is a drug, and as such its use must be closely regulated. If you or someone you love suffers from a drinking problem, I encourage you to seek help. There are many retain groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. If you prefer to enounce total anonymity there are also online minor in possession classes that can help.
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