BE A RESPONSIBLE HOST
“Parents are giving kids alcohol. It happens a lot. It makes binge drinking more acceptable.” – Placer County Teen
TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION FOR A HEALTHIER, SAFER PLACER COUNTY FOR OUR TEENS:
Take quick and decisive action to protect your teen against the dangers of alcohol and drugs by making the following commitments:
- I will have ongoing conversations with my teen about our family expectations and boundaries regarding underage tobacco use, vaping, alcohol, marijuana/cannabis, other illegal drugs and non-prescribed medications.
- I will assure parties or events held at my home are properly supervised and without any substances accessible to minors.
- I will notify a neighbor or another responsible adult about our absence if I am out of town.
- I will prevent my teen’s friends from driving if I know or suspect they have been drinking or using drugs.
- I welcome any parent or guardian of a teen attending a party at my home to call and check on party details, times, supervision and any other concerns.
TALKING WITH YOUR TEEN – HOW TO GET STARTED:
- Create an environment of trust and understanding by sharing values, family history and the harms of teen substance use and abuse.
- Define clear, consistent boundaries and expectations around substance use and abuse.
- Actively listen and give your teen room to voice his or her own views and feelings.
- Talk about how to handle situations your teen may encounter.
- Be rational and don’t overreact.
- Be calm and non-judgmental.
- Don’t lecture, exaggerate, interrupt or make false claims.
- You don’t have to be an expert – but show that you are informed. It’s ok to say you don’t know.
- If conversations becomes negative, let it go and continue when another opportunity develops.
- Ongoing dialogue is the best way to keep communication flowing both ways and address situations as they come up.
Click on the link above for a full size version of our Social Host Ordinance door hangers which were produced with the help of the Placer County Youth Commissioners and Sierra College.