Tips to avoid summer underage drinking
Did you know that more young people try alcohol for the first time during summer than at any other time of the year? By involving teens in a variety of alcohol-free activities — such as sports, summer camps, and outdoor recreational activities — you can help prevent underage drinking.

Here are a few other tips for busy families to consider:

• Establish and maintain good communication with your child. Building a close relationship with your child will make it easier for them to come to you when they have a problem. With a closer relationship to you, they will be less likely to experiment with alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs.

• Get involved in your child's life — it really does make a difference. Young people are much less likely to have substance use problems when they have positive activities to do and when caring adults are involved in their lives.

• Make clear, sensible rules for your child and enforce them with consistent and appropriate consequences. By doing this, you help your child develop daily habits of self-discipline.

• Set a good example for your child through your own behavior. Your child learns social skills and how to deal with stress by listening to and watching you. Do not take part in illegal, unhealthy or dangerous practices related to alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs or they may believe that, no matter what you say, these practices are OK.

• Support your child's social development by teaching your child how to form positive relationships. Help your child learn what qualities to look for in a friend, and advise them about what to say if offered harmful substances.

• Find out what your child is listening to and how they are spending time with their friends. Talking with your child about their interests opens up an opportunity for you to share your values. And research says that monitoring your child's activities is an important way to lower their chances of getting involved in situations you don't approve of, especially those that can be harmful. Unsupervised children simply have more opportunities to experiment with risky behaviors, including the use of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs, and they may start substance abuse at earlier ages.

Prevention First invites you to stop by and visit our resource center for free information on parenting and many other related topics. Visit us at 1405 Route 35 north, Ocean Township, or on the Web at www.preventionfirst.net.
Mary Pat Angelini
Executive Director & CEO
Prevention First
Ocean