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Health & Fitness

Parents, Have You Had That Conversation? We Can Help You Get Started!

During this holiday season, we hope you are able to gather with family, enjoy good conversation, delicious food and count your blessings. The holidays are also the perfect time to take a few moments to talk to your child about substance use. Three out of four youth say parents are the number one influence in their life when in comes to making decisions about drinking, however 45% of Wheeling Township teens say their parents have “not talked to them” or they “do not remember having a conversation” about not using alcohol.* Your own actions along with communicating about substance use both send strong messages to your child. Don’t assume your child already knows how you feel about underage drinking.  Talking to them and making your position clear can make a significant difference when it comes to preventing substance abuse. But remember, parents who do not discourage underage drinking may have an indirect influence on their children's alcohol use. Need help starting the conversation? CLICK HERE to visit Start the Talk. This new interactive tool by SAMHSA can help you learn the do’s and don’ts of talking to your kids about underage drinking. Using avatars, you’ll practice bringing up the topic of alcohol with a teen, learn what questions to ask, and get ideas for keeping the conversation going long after the initial talk has ended.

Link Together wishes you a happy, healthy and safe holiday season!

Link Together – Supporting Drug and Alcohol Free Youth

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 * 2013 Wheeling Township Illinois Youth Survey N=2,929

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