Join with other parents to set community standards for teen drinking and agree on how you all will share responsibility for enforcing those standards. Many junior high and high schools help to organize parent networks like this. It can simplify life for teenagers if they know they're all being held to a common standard and that their community is made up of adults who care about their health and safety. And let your son and his friends know that they can call you to pick them up any time, day or night, if they ever encounter an unsafe situation. Encourage your local school or church to use peer support groups to help kids learn how to handle the pressure to drink or engage in other risky behavior.
Teenagers often can hear a message from their peers that they refuse to hear from their parents.
See other topics in the Archive .