Parents, if you Love your Kids Choose not to Drink Alcohol
Parents, if you Love your Kids Choose not to Drink Alcohol
PARENTS!
If you love your kids, choose not to drink alcohol By Eva Fry
CHOOSE NOT TO DRINK ALCOHOL FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF YOUR KIDS!
AN INTELLIGENT CHOICE! A WISE DECISION!
Why would a parent, who may enjoy drinking alcohol, choose not to drink?
They know tragic consequences may be in their childrenâs future, if they drink alcohol and their children follow their example.
Good parents refuse to encourage, enable or model alcohol that could potentially kill their child. They know a double standard does not work! Telling your child not to drink alcohol, when you are drinking, doesnât work! Responsible parents are aware that drunk driving, alcoholism, future drug use, are a small part of what can happen after a child takes itâs first drink. Parents who really love their children are willing to give up something they may enjoy themselves for the health and safety of their children.
I believe mothers have the greatest responsibility to their children in this area, because they set the tone of the home! For responsible parents, it is not a big sacrifice to make the choice not to drink alcohol.
A study was done on the brains of young people and the finding was that young brains do not fully develop until they are age twenty-five. Young people need the adults in their life to be good examples. They need parents to direct them and help them make good decisions. The sad fact is that many parents are bad examples and by the time a young person figures life out, they are following the same path as their parents.
If you are questioning this idea of parents abstaining, think of this! How would you feel if your child died in an alcoholic stupor because they just wanted to be like you? If you donât want them to drink alcohol, you must not drink yourself!!!!!!!
There is a movement gaining great popularity today, similar to the anti smoking campaign, which had great success. This movement is called âReducing Underage Drinkingâ. It is the result of Congress requesting the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine to review the evidence on various programs aimed at underage drinking and to recommend a strategy to reduce and prevent it.
The conclusion of the study is simply: Alcohol use by young people is dangerous, not only because of the risks associated with acute impairment, but also because of the threat to their long-term development and well-being.
I recently attended a national conference for this movement and was impressed with all the enthusiasm and excitement generated in teaching our young people not to drink alcohol, until they are twenty-one years old. Organizations from all over the United States gathered to share what they know and their successes. Great strides are being made and young people are really being educated in the dangers of drinking alcohol.
I am very thankful for all that is being done and commend all involved for their dedication and desire to save our young people.
Unfortunately, my only complaint is the lack of an abstinence message in their campaign. They are not making it loud and clear, to young people, that they have the choice not to drink alcohol at all, whatever their age. They are not being taught, âAbstinence is the better choice!â They are only teaching young people not to drink alcohol until they are twenty-one years old. They must believe something magical happens when they attain the age of twenty-one. If they only choose to drink then, there will be no consequences.
Why do I believe abstinence a better choice?
Once again from the study: 1/3 of youth traffic fatalities involve alcohol. Underage alcohol use is also associated with violence, suicide, educational failure, and other problem behaviors. All of these problems are magnified by early onset of teen drinking: the younger the drinker, the worse the problem. Moreover, frequent heavy drinking by young adolescents can lead to mild brain damage. A young person who begins drinking as a young teen is four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than some one who waits until adulthood to use alcohol. Almost 14 million Americans abuse alcohol or have developed alcoholism.
My argument for encouraging parents to choose not to drink alcohol is personal, but is backed up by the study. It says that the patterns and consequences of youthful drinking are closely related to the overall extent and patterns of drinking in the society, and they are affected by the same factors that affect the patterns of adult consumption. From this standpoint, it is possible that the most effective way to reduce the extent and
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