Educating your children on the risks of alcohol abuse
Alcohol affects children worse than adults. They are still growing, weigh less and are smaller. They feel the effects of alcohol faster and much stronger.
Postpone the use of alcohol for as long as possible:
You determine from what age your child drinks alcohol. Talk to your children and encourage them to wait as long as possible (at least till the age of 18)
It is illegal to sell alcohol to anybody under the age of 18 and you need to remind your children about this law and what the consequences will be for their actions. Drinking at a young age brings too many risks with it.
A human beings brain only stops developing at the age of 25, so that means that drinking can stunt the growth of the brain. To an 18 year old, this argument might not seem reasonable, so it needs to be handled delicately.
Look out for the signs
There are signs, you as a parent can pick up on. Some of these might include:
- Change in behaviour.
- Personality change, mood swings.
- Weight gain.
- Odd sleeping pattern. (might sleep till mid day)
- Vomiting in the morning after a night out.
- Sleeping out a lot (friend’s houses)
These are some of the signs of alcohol abuse and you need to talk to a professional if you are concerned about your child’s alcohol abuse.
The best thing you can do to prevent you child from becoming an alcoholic, is to talk to them. Have open discussions about alcohol abuse and make them truly understand the risks involved.