Talking to Children About Drinking

A recent survey highlights two interesting conclusions about underage drinking. In the first place, it's trending downward. Secondly, family communication is vital to reducing underage drinking.

According to the 14th annual Pride Survey, the number of middle and high school students who drink alcohol has dropped to the lowest point in 13 years. In fact, overall alcohol use has fallen for five straight years. This is great news, but when they are away from home, teens face a lot of pressure—and it's not always pressure to study hard and excel at everything. That's why Anheuser-Busch and Dwan and Company are offering two booklets for parents.

Family Talk: How to Talk to Your Kids About Drinking was developed by an advisory panel of education, family counseling, child psychology and alcohol treatment professionals, and is available in five languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. The book is endorsed by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce, the National Council of Negro Women, and the Korean-American Grocers Association. It also is listed in the Prevention Materials Database maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Family Talk booklet was developed in 1990 and has been distributed to more than 5.7 million families nationwide.

More recently, Anheuser-Busch began distributing a companion guidebook for parents of college-age students. College Talk: A Parent's Guide on Talking to Your College-Bound Students About Drinking was developed by an advisory panel of authorities in the fields of education, family therapy, student health and wellness, alcohol treatment and social norms marketing, and through conversations with parents and students.

A free copy of these publications can be downloaded at Anheuser-Busch's consumer awareness website, <www.beeresponsible.com>, or requested by mail by calling 800-359-TALK.