The comments were interesting. We selected the most commonly asked questions and asked local professionals to prepare responses that parents could use in talking with their children. Keep in mind, the following questions reflect the kinds of issues the average middle school student is thinking about. The questions are written exactly as the students submitted them. Use this information to initiate a conversation with your child while riding the car or over a meal.
Kids undergo tremendous changes during their years in middle and high school.
Adolescent bodies, with a much faster metabolism and a lower level of body fat, are very different from those of adults. Also, they are growing very rapidly. All of these factors contribute to how kids' bodies respond to alcohol differently from adult bodies. An adolescent's emotional and mental growth occurs just as rapidly as his or her physical growth. When an adolescent abuses a drug, he or she is not engaging in activities that are essential for development, such as decision making, socializing, problem solving, exercising good judgment, reasoning, abstract thinking, exercising coping skills, and appropriately identifying feelings.