Whatcom families help their kids avoid using alcohol.
Kids are exposed at early ages to confusing messages that link alcohol with social acceptance, happiness, and other benefits. In addition, friends, siblings, and chance situations may also create misleading messages. Be proactive with your kids by talking about the actual risks and dangers that come with alcohol before they confront a choice they may not fully understand. These discussions also help reduce the chance of kids riding with an impaired driver, driving drunk themselves, or experiencing other negative consequences.
89%
of teens said their parents were the largest influence on their decision whether or not to drink.
86%
of Whatcom parents have recently talked to their kids about the risks of using alcohol.
Whatcom youth who have
fun with their parents are
66% less likely to use alcohol.
84%
of Whatcom adults do not let youth drink alcohol in their homes.
How harmful is alcohol for my kids?
Alcohol is harmful to growing brains, affecting both structure and function that relate to memory, motor skills, and coordination. Though alcohol affects everyone, teens are more vulnerable to long term harm than adults.
In addition, alcohol can lead people to make risky, impulsive choices involving sexual activity, impaired driving, and other activities that can cause lasting harm. Alcohol poisoning is also dangerous, leading to several thousand deaths each year.
Though drinking may seem widespread, people almost always overestimate the amount of drinking that their peers actually do.