November 2009 Parents are urged to warn their teenagers about the risks of binge drinking as thousands of school-leavers prepare to head to Schoolies Week activities around the country.

With the Government’s ‘Don’t Turn a Night Out Into a Nightmare’ National Binge Drinking Campaign entering its second phase, Nicola Roxon, Minister for Health and Ageing, is calling on parents to speak with their teenagers about the impact of excessive alcohol consumption before they leave for Schoolies.

“Parents play a crucial role in educating teenagers about alcohol and helping them to develop a responsible attitude towards drinking,” said Ms Roxon. “In the lead-up to Schoolies and other end-of-year celebrations parents should speak to their kids now, before the partying starts. Don’t let your teenager become a Schoolies statistic this year.”

Ms Roxon warned of the risks young people face when they are not properly educated about the affects of alcohol or drinking to excess during Schoolies Week activities. “Young people who get drunk at Schoolies events are often away from home and in large groups. They need to look after themselves and their mates – because being drunk increases the risk that they might find themselves in harms way or do something they regret.”

Statistics into the drinking behaviour of young Australians, including Schoolies-aged teens, show that: 

• 70 Australians aged under 25 will be hospitalised due to alcohol-caused assault in an average week
• On average, 1 in 4 hospitalisations of 15-25 year olds happen because of alcohol
• Four Australians aged under 25 die due to alcohol related injuries in an average week
• Half of all teens aged 15–17 who get drunk will do something they regret.

To help parents speak to their teens, the Rudd Government has developed Alcohol and young people: A guide for parents, a guide that offers practical advice and information. This guide is available from the Rudd Government’s National Binge Drinking Campaign website www.drinkingnightmare.gov.au

Alcohol and Schoolies – Tips for Parents

• Choose an appropriate time and place to talk, and bring the topic up informally.
• Be open and honest and encourage your teenager to do the same.
• Highlight the short-term harms that can be caused by binge drinking: road trauma, high-risk sexual activity, suicidal behaviour, decreased academic and sporting performance, injury and violence.
• Also highlight the long-term health impacts: liver disease, stroke, cancer, mental health conditions, and alcohol dependence.
• Be clear about the rules and set some boundaries.
• Avoid scare tactics – present a realistic representation of the facts.
• Discuss ways to deal with peer pressure, how to say ‘no’ to alcohol.
• Stress the importance of never getting into a car with a driver who has been drinking.
• Highlight the dangers of drink spiking and how they can protect themselves.
• Discuss what to do if a friend has had too much to drink.
• Parents should aim to be supportive, warm and affectionate. They should set clear limits for their teenagers and monitor their child’s behaviour, particularly in relation to alcohol consumption with their peers.
• There is no standard recipe for parenting and teenagers can’t be defined as “good” or “bad”. Parents should seek information and support to understand their child, recognise their individual strengths, and adopt the strategies that are best suited to them.
• If your teenager is shy or reticent, you should try to be encouraging, supportive and gentle, without being overprotective. If your teenager is feisty and volatile, you should aim to be firm and assertive, but also warm and affectionate.

Further information:

1. Alcohol and young people: A guide for parents
2. Australian Government’s National Binge Drinking Campaign www.drinkingnightmare.gov.au
3. National Preventative Health Taskforce report Australia: The Healthiest Country by 2020
4. The role of families in preventing alcohol-related harm among young people. Prevention Research Quarterly DrugInfo Clearinghouse

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