Graduation… from school spirit to 40 proof spirits?

Graduation for teens means 10 weeks of graduation parties, sun, fun and freedom before college starts … life is good! As a parent, graduation means an end to nagging about homework and getting up on time for the bus… halleluiah! But parents, the job’s not done yet. A 2010 study by the University of Rhode Island warns parents whose teens head to college in the fall that that teens tend to increase their alcohol consumption in the summer months before school starts. 

Reason for concern? … Yes, here's why:

· teens often overestimate how much their peers are    drinking

· the legal drinking age may be 21 but most Americans start drinking at 15

· more than 1,800 college students die each year in car accidents

· more than 750,000 are involved in alcohol related physical or sexual assaults, and

· alcohol affects developing adolescent brains differently (some effects are long-term. Click  http://www.preventioncouncil.org/adolescentbrain for more info about adolescent brain development).

What can you do?

· Talk with your teen about alcohol and its associated risks

· Monitor your teen’s activities--where they are and with whom. (Yes, it’s still OK to do.

· Set a good example. researc shows that your attitudes about drinking have a stong impact on your child's behaviors.

Tomorrow: Alcopops... not just sweet and fruity