a woman uses science to teach teens about drinking

Use Science to Talk to Your Teens about Drinking

If you’re a parent, you should assume that your child will be tempted to drink on prom night and other celebrations that mark the end of the school year. In a 2005 survey of high school students, about 43 percent had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, and 75 percent had tried alcohol at least once. Even more concerning, about one in three students had been a passenger in a car driven by someone who had been drinking. If you’re worried about your teens using drugs or alcohol on prom night, you can use science to teach teens about drinking. However, if they’re addicted to alcohol or drugs, it’s time to seek treatment for substance abuse. To learn more, contact Promises Behavioral Health today. 

How to Use Science to Teach Teens About Drinking

The American Association for the Advancement of Science offers a Science Inside Alcohol Project, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism, which suggests educating kids about the science of alcohol to explain how it affects adult and adolescent brains differently. Here are five things the AAAS says you should tell your kids:

1) If you want to remember prom or your graduation party, don’t drink

The hippocampus is the part of the brain that stores memory; because it is still developing in teens, even small amounts of alcohol can wipe away their memories of the night.

2) Drinking changes your judgment

Alcohol makes people less inhibited, which can lead to risky behaviors like driving under the influence and becoming involved in sexual situations. Tell teens that their prefrontal cortex, which controls decision making, isn’t mature until their late 20s, so they are especially vulnerable to the effects of alcohol on their judgment.

3) Alcohol increases the risk of violence

Studies show that teens who drink are more prone to fighting and violence; in fact, a London study found that about one in four teens who drink say they damaged or destroyed something while drinking. Tell teens that if they get into a fight at prom or a party, they might be suspended from school or miss the graduation ceremony.

4) Drinking can make you sick

Alcohol irritates the stomach and increases the risk of throwing up on and ruining that expensive dress or tuxedo.

5) Hangovers force you to cancel plans

If you drink too much on prom night or at a graduation party, you’ll likely spend the next day miserable and in bed, which could make you miss other fun events. When it’s time to have the alcohol talk, teens will be more prone to listen and take the conversation to heart if you give them better reasons than “just don’t do it.”

Get Treatment at Promises Behavioral Health

If your teen or young adult struggles with addiction, they are not alone. Millions of Americans around the country struggle with the same thing. However, unlike many people, who choose not to get treatment, you can get them the care and treatment they need. At Promises Behavioral Health, we offer a huge variety of treatment programs for people all around the country. Whether your loved one needs treatment for addiction alone, or addiction and mental illness, we can help. Our treatment programs include:

It’s not too late for your loved one to get the treatment they need. If using science to teach teens about drinking isn’t working, it’s time to reach out to our exception treatment center. To learn more about the treatment options for your loved one, or to enroll them in treatment, contact Promises Behavioral Health today at 844.875.5609

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