WATCH: ‘Be the mentor you wish you’d had’

Underage drinking is prohibited by South African law, but has never stopped teenagers from over-indulging in alcoholic beverages.

Many lives have been turned upside-down by underage drinking, but the South African Breweries (SAB) wants to educate parents on how they can avoid this.

SAB’s advert was recently named as one of the global top six best adverts on TV by www.bestadsontv.com for their anti-underage drinking campaign.

The new advert was launched in November by the brewery as part of their 18+ campaign in an effort to put a stop to underage drinking.

The advert calls on teenagers to ‘Be the mentor you wish you’d had’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWuTTy-NY4o

The dangers of underage drinking cannot be underestimated and SAB hopes to empower adults with the tools to speak to the youth about why they should wait before having that first sip of alcohol.

According to SAB, research shows that allowing children to consume alcohol early does not prevent later abuse, something that lenient parents are advised to remember.

Teenagers are vulnerable to experimenting but underage alcohol consumption can have severe physical and psychological effects.

Teenagers who drink are far more likely to try illegal drugs.

The same research shows that 67% of teens who drink before the age of 15 will go on to use illegal drugs.

SAB’s ‘You Decide’ outreach programme, developed in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry and the National Youth Development Agency, is a series of interactive initiatives aimed at helping teens to realise how much better their futures will be if they avoid underage drinking.

Its main component is a roadshow that has visited over 512 000 teenagers in over 963 schools since its launch in 2012.

Engaging with various stakeholders, including Johannesburg clinical psychologists, Sandra Brownrigg and Claire O’Mahony from the Sandton Psychology and Wellness Centre, has given SAB better insight as to why teenagers drink and how adults can help guide them.

Here is some practical advice for parents and adults on how to prevent underage drinking from taking place on their watch:

Establish your own healthy drinking habits

“It is important that parents take into consideration that young children entering into adolescence are at the stage in their life where they are trying to establish how they fit into society and can be easily persuaded,” says O’Mahony.

“Being exposed to alcohol by their parents, who are their role models, can be seen as confusing and as a result, questions may be asked or they experiment with alcohol on their own.”

She adds that parents should not hide their alcohol consumption from their children and instead practice a healthy and open balance.

“Be open with your children about alcohol and ensure that they feel comfortable asking questions, enforce the importance of legal age for alcohol consumption and practice healthy drinking and balance in front of your children.”

Parents must be role models

“Everything in moderation is an important lesson to learn and this is especially the case with alcohol,” says Brownrigg.

“Binge drinking is typically experimented amongst teenagers and not knowing their limits is a difficult lesson to have to learn.

“Role models need to model healthy habits and instill morals around alcohol.”

Brownrigg says adults often say: ‘I’ve had a bad day, I need a drink’ and that this taught young children that alcohol is a coping mechanism.

“This can be seen to be unhealthy and confusing to a child when their role models are only consuming alcohol during hard times.”

Brownrigg advises that parents talk to children on their level.

“Allow them to ask you questions about your drinking habits. It is vital that children have an understanding why adults drink and parents should also be conscious of how much and how often, they drink.”

Communicate the dangers of underage drinking

“Talk to your teens about the many effects of alcohol consumption on a young person’s brain.

“Explain that it can impact long-term memory, cause liver damage, stunt growth and even disturb the hormonal balance necessary for normal development of organs, muscles and bones,” O’Mahoney says.

“Be open and do not leave the communication too late or rely on schools, or other adults or older siblings, to talk to your children.”

Establish boundaries and consequences if trust is abused

Brownrigg advises discussing the issue of alcohol in a non-judgmental tone so that the child does not feel interrogated or too scared to open up and discuss what is on their mind.

“Reinforce your family values and morals, consider your religious stance and how alcohol is viewed, establish boundaries and discuss the consequences if your trust is abused.”

The importance of good communication

“Good communication is vital, do not wait until your child has used alcohol until you have this discussion with them.

“Peer pressure is rife at this age and children need to be made aware of good and bad choices and the knowledge that they can talk to their role model before consuming alcohol,” O’Mahoney concludes.

Survey: 2012 UNISA Youth Research Unit Substance Abuse Survey