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Tips for Parents
To report underage drinking call" 1-888-8over21
Tips For Parents

Below are some useful tips on how to keep your teen from using alcohol:
  • If you have alcohol in your home:
    • Keep track of the quantity.
    • Know where it is.
    • Make it less accessible to teens.
  • Thank servers and clerks for ‘carding’ those who are buying alcohol.
  • Alert the police if you have information about where teens are buying/getting alcohol.
    • To report underage alcohol violations call 1-888-8-OVER 21.
  • Get to know your teen’s friends.
  • Get to know the parents of your teen’s friends.
    • Know their rules, and share your rules.
    • Don’t accept the argument: “everybody else gets to…”
    • Let the parents of your teen’s friends know where you stand on underage drinking.
  • No furnishing, EVER!
  • Reinforce the rules and consequences of underage drinking before your teen goes out.
    • Frequently explain the reasons behind your rules.
    • Reinforce that the rules are protective, not just restrictive.
    • Consistently enforce the rules – even when it’s hard.
    • Don’t look the other way if your teen violates the rules.
    • Let them know that you will hold them accountable.
  • Before your teen goes to a party or out with friends ask:
    • Will adults be present the entire time?
    • Will alcohol be present?
    • Ask your teen to call you from the party or gathering.
    • If you have caller ID you can ask them to call from a landline, not from a cell phone, so that you can tell exactly where they are.
  • Trust but verify!
    • Check in often with other parents about your teen’s activities.
    • Consider ‘dropping in’ at the location your teen tells you he/she will be.
    • Wait up (or set the alarm for curfew time).
  • Talk with your teen about their night
    • When your teen arrives home, look for signs of use. Teens who believe their parents will catch them are less likely to drink.
  • Be prepared in advance for what you would do if you discover your teen has been drinking.
    • Think about how you would react, whom you would talk to, and how you will enforce the consequences.
  • Start early; don’t wait for signs that your child may be drinking to start monitoring.
    • Begin good monitoring skills when your child is young, it will help your monitoring seem less like an “absence of trust” and more like an expected routine as they get older.
  • You don’t need to go it alone – talk with other parents.  The more we work together to give our teens clear and consistent messages, the better!