More Than a Village: Fostering a Community Response to Underage Drinking
Healthy Teens—First in a Series of Three Articles

by Stephen G. Wallace, M.S. Ed.

What to Say

While there is no fail-safe recipe that outlines the perfect, measured ingredients for successful conversations, adults serve youth best by remaining focused on the risks associated with certain choices—such as alcohol use—steering clear of the more emotionally charged debate about the motivation behind them. That can come later. Teens instinctively understand and secretly appreciate our concern for their health and safety. When individuals avoid moralizing about behavior and remain fixed instead on the dangers posed by underage drinking, adults are more likely to have receptive ears on the other side of the picnic table: "We've all seen tragic consequences when teens decide to drink" rather than "Smart teens don't drink alcohol."

There are five key risks that permeate underage drinking:

Physical
Emotional
Social
Developmental
Legal

Imbuing dialogue with references to these hazards helps teens to truly understand the breadth and depth of the problems associated with certain choices and to pattern their behavior accordingly. Thinking through how these risks might play out in a teen's life will help an individual guide a discussion with teens.

It's tempting to think that these risks are obvious and that all teens are well schooled in each of them. The fact is that even those risks that appear logical to us may not be well understood by our campers. For example, many teens are unaware of the specific laws pertaining to possession or use of alcohol. If they fail to grasp the simple, explicit legal consequences for underage drinking, how can anyone expect them to grasp the nuances of risks relating to physiology or overall personal development? Only if adults help by clearly and consistently reminding teens of the real and likely outcomes of poor choices will they grasp the consequences.

Here are some examples of various openers adults have used in approaching kids about alcohol. It is appropriate for an individual to use his or her own language, in his or her own way. Each of these examples is brief and not confrontational. Many utilize "I" statements as opposed to "you" statements, which often sound accusatory. Some ask questions, drawing teens into the conversation and thereby making communication a two-way street.

I guess a lot of kids are starting to think about trying alcohol, and I want to let you know that there are some pretty big risks associated with drinking. Right now your brain is undergoing a lot of changes, sort of reorganizing itself, getting rid of cells it doesn't need and adding ones it does. Alcohol can actually affect that reordering and cause permanent changes in how you will learn and remember things in the future.
Alcohol, like tobacco, is addictive, meaning once you start using it may be hard to stop. And that can cause some big problems later in life, such as trouble getting or keeping a job. Can you imagine showing up for work drunk? Or sneaking off at lunchtime to get a drink? There are a lot of people so dependent on alcohol that they do those things and end up losing their jobs.
I have read that a lot of kids use alcohol to feel better about themselves or some situation in their life, only to find out that it actually makes them feel worse. For example, some kids drink because they feel sad or depressed but then find it only makes them sadder or more depressed. Do you know any kids like that?
I can remember from when I was a teen that alcohol also caused a lot of kids to do things they later wished they hadn't, such as being mean to a friend or even having sex with someone. I'll bet you have heard of kids doing things under the influence of alcohol that they later regret.
For many teens, drinking interferes with important goals they have set for themselves, such as getting good grades or performing well in sports. Are there kids you know who aren't doing as well as they'd like because they're drinking?
• I think there are some important questions kids need to ask themselves regarding alcohol use: What decisions will I make to feel that I fit in with the other kids? How will I deal with stressful or painful situations or periods in my life? Am I comfortable interacting with other people, even people I don't know? All these beg the question: Can I cope without alcohol?

Originally published in the 2006 November/December issue of Camping Magazine.