Why the #TalkEarly Campaign is Important in Today’s Alcohol-Centric Society
The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility and organizations like Ask, Listen, Learn have teamed up with parenting bloggers to start a conversation about alcohol. The idea is to start early and often. The #TalkEarly is an underage drinking initiative targeted toward parents and children. The idea is that parents can create a good foundation for their children by engaging with them in conversations about alcohol from an early age. By modeling healthy behaviors parents can be the driving force in helping their children make good decisions regarding alcohol.
Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don’t Mix offers a free digital underage prevention program for parents and educators. Most research indicates that the earlier the conversation begins about alcohol the more of an impact it will have on underage drinking. The focus is on how alcohol affects the brain and brain development. According to Responsibility.org:
“From 2003 to 2016, conversations between kids and their parents have increased by 73%, while underage drinking has decreased by 50%.”
Ask, Listen, Learn combines materials and other online resources for parents and educators with games and lesson plans targeted for kids between the ages of 9 – 13. The website also provides numerous classroom resources including videos and activity sheets on helping children decide to make healthy choices and saying “No” to underage drinking.
With school starting across the country, now is the time for parents, educators and the community-at-large to engage children in a conversation about alcohol and the impact it can have on their brain, their health and their life.