How To Talk To Your Teen About Alcohol
As a parent, there are always going to be tough conversations to have, from exams to drugs and many other conversations too.
Alcohol is one of the conversations that many parents dread. However, it is extremely important to talk to your teen about alcohol.
Having a real, non-judgmental conversation with your teen will help you to keep them safe and acting responsibly.
Get The Tone Right
To have a productive conversation, you need to get the tone right. Make sure that you are having a conversation with your teenager. Be careful to avoid simply giving them a lecture about how alcohol could put them in a place such as the Inner Voyage Recovery Center.
Listen to them as well as talk. If you listen, this will encourage them to pay attention to what you have to say. In turn, they will be more likely to share their thoughts with you. It’s important that you don’t sound judgmental, critical, or disapproving when you do talk to your teen about alcohol.
Get The Timing Right
Talking about important issues like alcohol needs to be done at the right time.
Trying to start a serious conversation with your teen while they are on the way out the door, about to go to bed, or while you’re in the middle of something is never going to result in a productive discussion. #communication #parenting… Click To TweetIf you can have a number of calm chats, you are more likely to have an impact on the decisions that your teen makes about their own drinking. Think of it as an ongoing discussion, not one chat.
Choose Conversational Triggers
If your teen hasn’t brought up the topic of alcohol with you than you could look for a hook to get started. For example, the storyline of a TV show, stories about family or friends, or a celebrity scandal involving alcohol. Ask them what they think, and take the conversation from what they say.
Alternatively, you could simply let your teen know that you have an important topic to discuss and that you would like their opinion and thoughts.
Be Honest
You do not want your teenager to catch you out in a lie or being hypocritical. It’s much better to be honest and use your answers to open further discussions. For example, if you drank at their age, be honest. However, do be certain to discuss any negatives that you, or your friends, may have experienced. If their questions become uncomfortable for you, it’s ok to say so.
Set Rules
Teenagers will often test boundaries. Breaking the rules is something that many teenagers do. However, most teens will feel safer if they do have guidelines and boundaries in place. They will even appreciate it!
Put clear rules in place, discuss why they’re in place, and agree on punishments for breaking those rules. #parentingtip Click To Tweet
What If My Child Comes Home Drunk?
A better question is how to make sure your teen never does this!!!
In addition to the above tips, I also strongly suggest that you make it very clear to your teen that if they are ever drinking (or doing drugs) or are out with people who are that they are to call home and ask for a ride. Assure them that you will not lecture them or punish them and that you will pick them up no questions asked.
Try to stay calm. If they’re drunk, this won’t be a good time to have a discussion. Instead, make sure they are safe, give them water or electrolytes long with some pain reliever and then send them to bed.
During the next day, very calmly ad with a judgment free tone in your voice talk to your teen about alcohol use or whatever they experienced. Ask them to explain what happened. Listen, and then ask them how they feel about the occurrence. Then tell them how you feel, whether that’s angry, disappointed, or concerned.
Be sure to review the issues that you have previously discussed about alcohol, and any new issues along with the risks, the agreed rules, and the punishments.
Be sure to follow through! This is the golden rule of parenting!
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38 thoughts on “How To Talk To Your Teen About Alcohol”
For me as a father you have to be good role model and explain to them the do’s and don’t’s of taking alcohol
A Positive male role model is very important
As long as alcohol remains a taboo and is glorified in the media, kids will expeiment. I also think it’s a good idea to broach the conversation head on.
There is always some thing about taboo things that seem to make them more attractive.
BEing honest is always the best. Thanks for all the tips.
You are welcome. Using thoughtfulness honesty and integrity or incredibly important to our overall health.
Nnniiiccceeeee….I find conversation triggers very good in this endeavour. That goes, of course, with unconditional regard for how they feel!
Regarding how somebody feels will make a very big difference in a useful conversation.
This is so difficult I’m sure. Especially here in Ireland when underage drinking is far more common and even praised.
I did not realize that it was praised there. Thank you for sharing that. That certainly would make it even more difficult also so much more important.
I have a 16 year old boy and this is great advice. Timing is everything with these conversations.
When it comes to teenage boys, timing and patience is everything.
Yap, definitely a difficult topic – although, here in Europe, I think that things are more relaxed. Also, teens cannot drive at 16, hence, at least this dangerous combination is out of the way.
Yes, in Europe it is more relaxed but it still requires to be responsible when drinking.
Talking to teens about alcohol can really demanding sometimes. Thanks for sharing all these amazing tips to make it easy
Yes, it is definitely demanding. Of course, is also extremely important.
This ideas will really help a lot specially I have a son turning teenager.. And of course I’m the one who best example for him
Yes, even lead by example. Model the behavior that you expect to see.
This are good tips specially the right time one. Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful to hear that you find them to be helpful. Timing is everything.
It is always a challenge to see our children grow; to be productive and successful. Alcohol is one of the topics that is hard to discuss. I think finding the right opportunity will spell out the difference.
Hoping our children to grow into responsible adult human beings is so thrilling and also the hardest work well overdue.
Tone, timing and honesty! Absolutely nothing beats these three, since it’s not an easy game to make teens actually understand about alcohol.
You completely got it, my friend. These are the keys to a fruitful conversation.
It might not be a fun topic but it’s super important to do. This is something that I need to talk to my daughter about asap.
Your daughter is very important to you and having this conversation is, as well.
I agree with you that is a must to discuss alcohol with our kids (teens.) Rather than blankly telling them they should not drink it. It is better to let them understand (through right tone and timing) the consequences of drinking too much or what does it do to our body so they can make better decisions and become a responsible drinker.
It is a beautiful thing… When we treat our children like adults they tend to start acting more like adults
I totally agree on this, I also have a teenager and this tips will help me a lot! Thank you so much!
You are so welcome and thank you also for the reinforcement.
Thank you for these tips. I wish I had known these earlier
You’re welcome. I hope that everything is ok with you and yours.
Talking to teens about Alcohol and having them understand well is not easy. I think the timing is everything.
Timing is always important to amy conversations, especially difficult ones.
Being honest is the best. You can never go wrong with honesty.
That right there is the biggest truth bomb of them all.
These are such great tips. As our children get older, they’re exposed to so much peer pressure to drink. It can be a daunting task to try to make sure they can resist that need to fit in.
It absolutely can be daunting. And the earlier we broach the conversation the easier it will be.