Residential Treatment Center for Teens: Alcohol Use During the Holidays

Residential Treatment Center for Teens: Alcohol Use During the Holidays

As a residential treatment center for teens, adolescent alcohol use is a close and well-known issue to many, many of our parents. We’ve known for some time that binge drinking in the teen years can negatively impact a teen’s health–but new studies show that it can actually change the brain. It seems that heavy alcohol use during the adolescent years can alter the area of the brain that deals with impulse control and possibly lead to worse substance abuse issues in adulthood. We’re currently in the midst of the holiday season, which makes this study even more alarming because alcohol use goes up during the month of december. We know the holidays are filled with stress and events, which can make it difficult for parents to keep an eye on their teen at all times–it can be pretty easy for them to spike their eggnog while you’re not looking.

Teens & alcohol during the holiday season

Teenagers–they can be sneaky, conniving, and manipulative, every parent knows this is true. During the holidays, life is pretty hectic for most families. Everyone’s scrambling to all the holiday parties, going shopping for gifts, and trying to keep the extended family from tearing each other apart. This makes it the perfect time for teens to get into trouble. With the lower amount of supervision, teen drinking tends to spike during this time of the year–especially when we get to New Year’s Eve. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), teens are much more likely to begin using alcohol during the holidays. To avoid this and control it, we’ve pulled together a list of tips from our residential treatment center for teens to help.

Tips to help put a stop to teen drinking during the holidays

So, it’s incredibly easy for parents to let their guard down during this time of the year. Everything is fast paced and full of holiday cheer–nothing could go wrong, right? During this time of the year, many teens have accidents involving alcohol consumption, which means you still need to have your guard up even though it’s the holiday season. Check Your Alcohol at Home Know what is in your liquor cabinet. Many teens report getting their alcohol from home, which means you probably need to keep a watchful eye on how much is in each bottle and how many bottles there are. The Water Bottle Trick A classic trick is putting alcohol in a container that makes it look like something yes. The most popular one is putting vodka in a water bottle, because it looks like water. If you’re suspicious, just check their bag, see if there’s a water bottle, and give it a quick sniff. Lay Out the Consequences Sit your teen down and let them know exactly what’s going to happen if you catch them drinking. Knowing the consequences of getting caught can be a great deterrent. Be Aware, But Don’t Go Over the Top Try to stay aware of where your teen is going during the holiday parties, but don’t hound them. Remember, you’re just suspicious, you haven’t actually caught them doing anything wrong yet, so don’t treat them like they’re already guilty–otherwise you may have a completely different issue on your hands.

Our residential treatment center for teens can help your son

Equinox RTC is an all-boys residential treatment center for teens, ages 14 – 18, struggling with depression, anxiety, ADHD, drug use, and other behavioral or emotional issues. Our students work towards building accountability, respect, and a solution-oriented approach to solving their challenges with the help our therapeutic approach at our residential treatment center for teens. For more information about how our boys residential treatment center for teens at Equinox can help your son succeed, contact us today at (877) 279-8925