Eight Points for Parents Speaking to Students about Alcohol and Other Drugs

Talk with your student about alcohol. While parents may not be able to actively monitor students away from home, they can be available to talk and listen, and that is just as important. It can do more than help shape lives; it can save lives. The following tips were adapted from College Parents of America, Vienna VA, Eight Points for Parents. Please visit the William W. Sandler Jr. Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Education's website at www.miami.edu/pier21 for more helpful information.

1. Set clear and realistic expectations regarding academic performance. If students know their parents expect sound academic work, they are more likely to be devoted to their studies, and have less time to get in trouble with alcohol.
2. Stress to students that alcohol is toxic and excessive consumption can fatally poison them. This is not a scare tactic. The fact is students die every year from alcohol poisoning. Discourage dangerous drinking.
3. Tell students to intervene when classmates are in trouble with alcohol. Nothing is more tragic than an unconscious student being left to die while others either fail to recognize that the student is in jeopardy or fail to call for help due to fear of getting the student in trouble.
4. Tell students to stand up for their right to a safe academic environment. Students that do not drink can be affected by the behaviors of those that do, ranging from interrupted study time to assault or unwanted sexual advances. Students can confront these problems directly by discussing them with the offender, or the student can notify their RA.
5. Know the alcohol scene on campus and talk to students about it. Students grossly exaggerate the use of alcohol and other drugs by their peers. Students are highly influenced by peers and tend to drink up to what they perceive to be the norm. Confronting misconceptions is vital.
6. Avoid tails of drinking exploits from your own college years. Entertaining students with stories of drinking back in "the good old days" normalizes what, even then, was abnormal behavior. It also appears to give parental approval to dangerous alcohol consumption.
7. Encourage your student to volunteer in community work. In addition to structuring free time, volunteerism provides opportunities to develop job-related skills and gain valuable experience. Volunteer work on campus helps students further connect with their school, increasing the likelihood of staying in college.
8. Make it clear - - Underage alcohol consumption and driving after drinking are against the law. Parents should make it clear that they do not condone breaking the law. Parents of college students should openly and clearly express disapproval of underage drinking and dangerous alcohol consumption. And, if parents themselves drink, they should present a positive role model in the responsible use of alcohol.