Kids & Alcohol – Good news: More kids are choosing not to drink
More Australian students between the age of 12 – 17 years old are choosing not to drink!*
1 in 3 students in this age bracket have never consumed alcohol. This compares to 1 in 10 in 1999.
This is terrific news indeed! Non-drinking is increasingly becoming an option that more students are feeling comfortable to choose. Could alcohol be becoming “uncool”?! I hope so.
As a mum to 2 teenage boys I am excited by what these stats show and it is great news for those of this age that prefer to opt out of drinking.
This news also reinforces current recommendations to parents to refrain from encouraging “safe drinking” of our teens in the family setting but rather to delay underage consumption as long as possible. They may in fact be opting out and that is a great thing to support.
Those that do choose to drink however tend to do so in years 9 and 10 with a concerning number binge drinking at risky levels. (Also surveys are yet to be released around the impact that COVID had on this cohort.)
Preparing our kids for their inevitable exposure to alcohol is a good idea from as young as 10 years old and reading up on how to support our teens as they approach the year nine stage can help us parents feel that we are not battling this alone. It takes a village!
More information
For more information on how to talk to your kids about alcohol:
- Download my free Ebook on How to Talk to Your Kids About Alcohol
- Have a look at my mini-course for parents on How to Talk to Your Kids About Alcohol
- Listen to my talk with Paul Dillon of DARTA all about Teens & Alcohol on She’s Sober Sydney!
Isabella
* Survey information viewed at https://darta.net.au
* Guerin & White (2017) ASSAD 2017 Statistics & Trends: Australian Secondary Students’ Use of Tobacco, Alcohol, Over-the-counter Drugs, and Illicit Substances
