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Modeling Responsible
Drinking Behavior
Laura
Doughty, MS LMHC
As parents, it is easy to
forget how aware our children are of our behaviors. Even more than the instruction and advice we
give, it is our actions that influence our youth. Children learn by watching
and imitating adults and older children around them. With this in mind, what messages are your
children getting about appropriate drinking behavior?
Adopting a healthy
lifestyle, one in which you are demonstrating positive choices on a daily
basis, models appropriate behaviors for your children. Talk to your children about your family’s
values and expectations around drinking, and keep your own behaviors consistent
with those values. Taking part in
illegal, unhealthy or dangerous practices related to alcohol, tobacco or drugs
may encourage your children to believe these practices are okay for them, no
matter what you say about such activities.
Remember, whether they witness your behavior, hear about your behavior,
or experience the consequences of your behavior, your children are looking to
you as a model for how they are to behave as an adult.
It may be surprising, but
results of a national survey suggest that children consider parental
disapproval of underage drinking to be the key reason they chose not to
drink. The 2006 Kittitas County Healthy
Youth Survey found that children perceive, as they get older, their parents’
attitudes about alcohol use to be more permissive, with 20% of 6th
graders and 25% of 12th graders stating their parents would think it
was only a little bit wrong for teens to use alcohol on a regular basis.
Some important statistics
underscore the importance of advocating and modeling intolerance of underage
drinking. National survey statistics state
that more children are killed by alcohol than all other illegal drugs
combined. In addition, children who
begin drinking before the age of 15 are 5 times more likely than those who
start after age 21 to develop alcohol problems.
The likelihood of becoming dependent decreases by 14% for each year the
onset of alcohol use is delayed.
For adults who chose to
drink, the importance of moderation cannot be over-emphasized. Moderation is defined as no more than one
drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. If you have chosen not to drink, whether for
religious, health, or family history reasons, remember to discuss the
importance of moderation for your children should they chose to drink after
they turn 21.
In short, modeling responsible
drinking behavior includes: practicing a
healthy lifestyle for yourself; acknowledging family history, values and
traditions; and learning/talking about the physical, social, and personal
affects of alcohol use with your children.
Laura
Doughty is a counselor and psychotherapist with a private practice in downtown
Ellensburg. She has been providing
services to families, couples, and individuals ages 10 through adult for 8
years, and is currently accepting new clients. For more information, visit www.counselingellensburg.com,
or call 925-2258.
The
Kittitas County Community Network/Drug Free Communities Coalition and the
Community Network agency, through a federal Drug Free Communities grant, are
implementing the “Start Talking Before They Start
Drinking” campaign as a community service for parents. For more information go to
www.kccn-dfc.com.
