Don't Let Your Teenager Become a 'Schoolies' Statistic

[colemancol]

Hi All,

As Schoolies Week activities begin around the country, parents are urged to talk to their teenagers about the risks of binge drinking.

With the Government’s ‘Don’t Turn a Night Out Into a Nightmare’ National Binge Drinking Campaign entering its second phase, it is a timely reminder to parents to educate their teens about the affects of alcohol and drinking to excess.

“Parents play a crucial role in education teenagers about alcohol and helping them to develop a responsible attitude towards drinking,” said Nicola Roxon, Minister for Health and Ageing.

The Government has developed a guide ‘Alcohol and young people: A guide for parents’ that offers parents practical advice and information when speaking to their teens.

This guide is available from the Government’s National Binge Drinking Campaign on the website of "drinkingnightmare".

More information is available in the media release, which includes tips for parents dealing with the issue of alcohol and schoolies.

HealthInsite has a topic page on Alcohol and Young People which links to information about the health effects of alcohol use on young people.

Cheers.

[ianspencer]

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.

[melvillebutler]

I have seen that there are so many little teenager drink the alcohol. I am sure that They are not aware about its side effects , They have only drunk for the enjoyment. I want to say that Australian police has took strict steps against its . Now the days, The alcohol drunker ration is still increase day by day.

[FlightSearch6]

1. Advise them that there is safety in numbers.

2. Suggest that they have a buddy to look out for and vice versa; this could be their best friend, to be accountable for them at all times.

3. Tell them to call home if they need any help or support at all.

4. The police are there to help and not to hesitate so encourage your child to contact them if in danger.

5. Stress that they shouldn't trust anyone except adults with authority, eg. police and Schoolies volunteers.

6. It is essential to keep an eye on their drink while in bars and clubs as school leavers (in particular girls) are commonly drugged.

7. If you suspect they will have sex, send them away with some condoms.

8. Advise them to keep $20 in their pocket in case they need to catch a cab back to the hotel or somewhere safe.

9. Many will drink excessively, so make sure they know to do so in their hotel so they aren't vulnerable in the wider world.

10. Lastly, warn them not to swim in the pool or ocean if they have been drinking.

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FlightSearch