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For parents who want to talk to their children about alcohol.
Talking to Children – when we spoke to children they said they wanted to find out more information about alcohol – dilemmas and facts cards would be a good way to do it – they said to pick the good times to chat maybe after soaps or during car journeys – but you know your children best.
Dilemma 4
You have gone to the park to meet your friends and before they arrive you see a group of teenagers you know who are a bit older and one of them offers you vodka.
1. Do you accept the drink after all it can’t be that strong (this is another question about how strong different sorts of alcohol are)?
Vodka is a spirit and it’s really strong. Roughly speaking one big mouthful of vodka has as much alcohol in it as one big can of strong beer - so drinking vodka can lead people to being dangerously drunk very quickly.
2. Do you accept because you don't want to look like a kid.
It won’t make you look any more grown up. Drinking affects your judgement and decision-making and your coordination so you will probably act more childishly if you drink. This is less of a risk in adults than in young people especially if they drink in moderation.
3. Do you accept the drink because it makes you feel more confident.
The problem is it makes people overconfident so they do things which are risky and which they wouldn’t do otherwise. Sex is a good example - a lot of older teenagers who have had sex because of alcohol say, privately, that they regret it and feel embarrassed about it. There is also a bigger risk of unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections - and that is no fun at all.
