Parents & Teenagers Talk About Alcohol Use

This video was developed to assist parents in navigating difficult conversations about drug and/or alcohol use. The video was developed in collaboration with the Youth & Wellbeing team at the NSW Health Department. The team seeks input from government and non-government agencies, youth health experts and young people. A key area of their work is to promote evidence-based approaches to youth health. The video's scenario is realistic as the parents are worried about their son but also frustrated by his behaviour. The commentary of adolescent physician Dr Anthony Zehetner helps to dissect the scenario in stages and emphasises the effective strategies displayed by the parents. For example, they wait until the morning to speak with Tom about the night’s events rather than attempting to address the issue while he is intoxicated, and they involve Tom in the process of deciding how to move forward after this significant event. We encourage parents to use these resources in combination with more detailed parenting programs or guidelines (see related resources), and make use of national phone services to obtain additional support and advice (see Where to get help). 

 

*Review provided by researchers at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney.