Drug Education Parent Booklet

10 KEEPING YOUR TEENAGER SAFE AT A PARTY If your teenager is invited to a party, arrange a time with them to discuss their attendance. It’s also a good idea to contact the parents who are hosting the party, to confirm details and provide your phone number. Below you will find a list of discussion points and information. THE ALCOHOL ISSUE ● Let your teenager know your expectations around their use of alcohol. Setting clear rules can help to delay your teenager from starting to drink alcohol and prevent alcohol-related harms. ● Providing alcohol for your teenager to take to a party is not recommended. Research shows that supplying alcohol to your teenager increases the likelihood that they will start to use alcohol at a younger age, as well as having higher levels of alcohol use. ● If you think your teenager will be drinking alcohol, talk to them about how they can reduce the risk of harm. This can include reminders to: ● never drive or get in a car with a driver who has been drinking; ● stay with their friends and don’t wander off alone; ● don’t get involved in activities like swimming, riding a bike and other physical sports. DEALING WITH PEER PRESSURE ● Talk to your teenager about what to do if they are faced with peer pressure to drink alcohol or take drugs (see tips for resisting peer pressure in our student booklet or on our website). ● Remind them that most teenagers do not use alcohol or drugs and by not using they are part of the majority of young Australians. WHAT TO DO IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG It’s important your teenager has some knowledge of what to do if something goes wrong. Some tips to help prepare your teenager include: ● Repeating safety messages to them before every party. These should be simple, such as instructions to call you or an ambulance if something goes wrong. ● Let them know they will not get in trouble if they call for help. ● Remind your teenager they can talk to a supervising adult if anything goes wrong. ● Let them know they can call you at any time for any reason. Keep your mobile phone with you while your teenager is at a party. ● Remind them that situations can get out of control quickly and that it is best to involve an adult as soon as they feel there might be a problem. ● Ask them to look after their friends at a party, especially if there will be alcohol. Ideally, having one person from each friendship group stay sober means there will be someone who can properly look out for others.