A campaign by the South African Breweries warns parents to look out for behaviour that might indicate that their teenagers may be consuming alcohol.
A campaign by the South African Breweries warns parents to look out for behaviour that might indicate that their teenagers may be consuming alcohol.
The SAB 18+ campaign encourages adults to be good role models to teenagers – whether your own, a niece/nephew, or the children of a friend.
Figures from the 2012 Unisa Youth Research Unit Substance Abuse Survey Research indicate that about 15% of boys and 8% of girls said they had had their first drink before the age of 13.
Reasons cited include boredom, as a coping mechanism against stress, anxiety and depression, or because of low self-esteem.
“The Unisa research also shows that a percentage of teenagers in the average South African home have at some stage experimented with alcohol.
Yet other research we have done shows that the vast majority of parents believe their kids do not drink,” said Jason Levin, MD of HDI Youth Marketers, which runs SAB’s You Decide underage drinking schools programme.
SAB, which launched the 18+ campaign as a call to action for adults to be role models in the fight against underage drinking, says parents and adults need to be especially vigilant during school holidays.
The brewing company, which takes responsible drinking and the fight against alcohol abuse seriously, has compiled a checklist of warning signs to be on the lookout for to prevent underage drinking.
SAB urges parents to find out if there is anything which might tempt a teenager to want to use alcohol. Are they trying to fit in, trying to reduce stress or feel relaxed? Make this an open discussion about the triggers they have identified or shared.
Triggers include stress, anxiety and depression, complaints of boredom, the exhibition of signs of rebellion and anger, a tendency to mimick their friends, lack of confidence, mood swings, flare-ups of temper, irritability, and defensiveness, school problems, switching friends, a “don’t care attitude”, finding alcohol in your child’s room or backpack, or smelling alcohol on his or her breath; and physical or mental problems such as memory lapses, poor concentration, bloodshot eyes, lack of co-ordination, or slurred speech.
