Underage drinking – what can parents do

[Daisy37]

this is awful but someone I know is having trouble with their child who has started drinking at the age of 13

They are good parents and they love their child and are very supportive so I dont know why their child is behaving this way

the child has been mitching off school and getting in to trouble in school too but the worst is when alot of alcohol was taken and the child became very ill and had to go hospital

they are at the end of their tethers. they have been to family counseling and have tried grounding and taking away phones and ipad but nothing seems to be working.

Anyone got any ideas how to deal with a child who has every opportunity and loving parents but still lashes out and behaves very badly.

What can they do?

[munchin]

Gosh a parent’s nightmare – where is the child getting the money for the drink?
Sounds like they are trying to help their child but maybe if they stop money and keep up the counselling
Hope they get to the bottom of it and their child is ok

[CA Coaching]

This is such a difficult issue for parents, but unfortunately is one that many parents come across at some point in the teenage years. Teenagers are also very good at getting money when they want it.

I would need to know more of the details to put together a comprehensive plan for this family but I would be curious to know has the child drank again since they got sick? In my experience, this can be a huge wake up call for teens. Also is the child showing any remorse or embarrassment since they went to hospital? I would love the opportunity to sit down with these parents and discuss things further and get more of a background.

As hard as it is to accept, there will always be experimentation by teenagers, they are programmed to rebel and try and find a way for themselves in the world. The pull of the peer group and having acceptance is bigger than almost anything for many young teens.

One thing they could try is to contact their local community garda to come and talk to their child to talk through the legal consequences of their behaviour but I do feel that this is a family issue that would need more support.

If you want to pass on my details to the family, we could look at a target, structured plan of action. My contact number is 086-8058404.

Allen

[mammycool]

God help them – I hope they get sorted.

I read an article in the Cottage hospital about children and drinking. Apparently, the average age of kids drinking is getting lower and is around 11 / 12 years. It recommended that the time to talk to your child about drink was around 10yrs. Explain to them that alcohol effects your moods, your ability to make decisions and your personal safety. Try to give them the information, so that, god forbid, they get into a situation where their peers are trying to push drink on them, they will have decided for themselves to say no.

I know that teens can manage to get money if they really needit but they need to then buy it. Most pubs and supermarkets will not sell drink to minors. Which begs the question, who is going out buying the drink for these kids?

[Author]

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