Alcohol guidelines for parents of teenagers

Jun 5 2008 by Lesley Brown, Hamilton Advertiser

AS part of new plans to crack down on teenage drinking, the government is to issue ‘alcohol guidelines’ to parents to help them encourage teenagers to drink more responsibly.

Those parents who fail to get their children to stop abusing alcohol could face parenting courses or even prosecution. We asked some Hamilton shoppers if they thought targeting parents was a good idea.

Mike Kane (42), of Hamilton, said: “This isn’t a bad idea at all. Something definitely has to be done about the teenage drinking problem and responsibility lies with the parents. Children should be educated about the dangers of drinking, but I’m not sure if parenting classes are the way to go.”

Billy Gallacher (50), from Hamilton, said: “I think that in some cases a young person’s behaviour is down to their parents so I think the classes would be a great idea. As well as educating parents, the classes could also be a place for parents to get guidance and support.”

Mrs Helen Boswell (44), said: “I think this is a great idea. Parents should be the ones looking out to make sure their children aren’t getting up to no good. So many parents don’t bother and their kids are the ones running riot. It is the parents’ job to educate their children about alcohol.”

Andrew Law (55), from Blantyre, said: “People think that it comes down to parents not having control, but parents have to go out to work and don’t have time to watch their children 24/7. I think it’s wrong to just point the finger. There is nothing much for younger people to do nowadays. I think it is a complex issue and it will take a lot of time, expertise and money to solve the alcohol problem.”