4-17-23 small talks campaign encourages parents to talk with their kids about underage drinking

April is Alcohol Awareness Month. The Fond du Lac County Health Department is partnering with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to release more detailed tips and tools as part of Small Talks, a campaign to prevent underage drinking in Fond du Lac County. This effort encourages adults to have short,  casual conversations with kids frequently, starting at age 8 on the dangers of drinking alcohol before the age of 21. Age 8 is the age at which children start to form their earliest opinions about alcohol and alcohol use.  In Fond du Lac County, 1 in 4 students reported a parent/guardian talked to them about alcohol in the past month according to the 2022 Fond du Lac Area Student Health Experiences and Attitudes Survey. Additionally, 1 in 5 youth reported recent alcohol use with the average age of onset being 12.8. April is a great month to start the conversation with your child.  Small talks toolkit provides help to parents to answer some of their kids’ toughest questions. When you explain to kids that drinking can be harmful, it’s natural for them to ask why adults sometimes drink alcohol.  And as a parent, it can be tricky to know how to response. In addition to providing common questions and answers, the new materials provide guidance on how to teach kids to say “no” to alcohol in peer-pressure situations.  Small talks do not require much planning: Just choose the alcohol-free moment that feels right to you. Small talks can happen while watching a TV show, over homework, while playing video games, at the store, while listening to music, and while scanning social media. Help a child sort out what they hear from friends or see on TV before someone hands them a drink.  Research supports the effectiveness of conversations between children and trusting adults. There is no right or wrong way to have a small talk. Having a lot of talks (even do-overs) is the point. Every attempt shows you care and are paying attention.  Visit the Small Talks campaign website – SmallTalksWI.org – for underage drinking talk facts, tips, and more.  Share your small talks moments on social media using #SmallTalksWI.