Life

Leona O'Neill: We need to talk to our teens about a safe post-lockdown 'summer of freedom'

As teenagers look forward to a post-lockdown 'summer of freedom', Leona O'Neill says it is vital to have honest, open conversations about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking, while 'keeping the lines of communication open'

There is a danger that our younger teens will associate freedom with alcohol
There is a danger that our younger teens will associate freedom with alcohol There is a danger that our younger teens will associate freedom with alcohol

ALL through lockdown I have been telling my teenage boys that things will be different this summer.

After a year-and-a-half having their social lives restricted beyond measure in these important years, I have told them that when it's safe the party will be fantastic - think the Roaring Twenties after the Spanish Flu, when everyone celebrated their independence in style, in a decade of decadence.

Or in Northern Irish teenagers' cases, a load of parties to end all parties.

That was fine then, when those boys needed the promise of good times to come to get them through the darkest of winters, school closures, totally annihilated social lives and all those missed opportunities to meet people and enjoy themselves.

But now that things are looking better, restrictions are being lifted and our teens are being unleashed back out into the world in time for summer, I'm a little worried at the intensity and passion with which they will let off all that lockdown steam.

I picked up my eldest, who just recently turned 18, from the city centre at the weekend, and judging by the sheer volume of totally inebriated adults sleeping, vomiting and dancing so enthusiastically and violently they were a danger to themselves and those around them, everyone is struggling to adjust to their newfound freedom.

But if adults are wrestling with it, our teens will be too.

And there is a danger that our younger teens will associate freedom with alcohol.

We were all teenagers once, and we know how these things work. But it's important that we have a conversation with our teens before they embark on a summer of freedom, so that they know the facts.

A lot of our teens have suffered with poor mental health during lockdown. Anxiety levels are up, more young people are seeking help with mental health issues.

It's crucial to let your teen know that alcohol is not a good way to deal with problems or stress.

In fact, it's a depressant and can make them feel even worse, it can heighten feelings of anxiety and increase depression.

It's also crucial to help them remember that teenage brains are still in a state of development.

Alcohol can cause permanent damage to developing areas - the pre-frontal cortex, the part that weighs up risk and consequences, helps us form judgments and the area that helps us control impulses and emotions.

It's crucial to let your teen know that alcohol is not a good way to deal with problems or stress. In fact, it's a depressant and can make them feel even worse, it can heighten feelings of anxiety and increase depression

In fact, the human brain doesn't stop developing until we are in our mid-20s, something that has a big impact on decision-making.

Soaking all that stuff in beer or cheap cider at 16, probably wont help matters along.

Teenagers are more likely to binge drink, something that is proven to lead to unplanned sexual activity, violent, poor decisions and even alcohol poisoning.

Underage drinking is also illegal. However, anyone who has a teenager will know that they do in fact know everything, and think they are immune to consequences.

In the same way as Mariah Carey doesn't 'do' stairs, teenagers tend not to 'do' lectures or shouting at them about underage drinking.

Talk to them openly and honestly and from a place of love and understanding.

Remind them of your own teenage years - if it was particularly lively, perhaps the censored version - and remind them that you're in their corner.

But also impress upon them that the dangers and consequences of underage drinking are not beyond their reach, regardless of what they think.

Lines of communication should be kept open always, even when there is a blip on the road.

Remember that how you deal with the tricky situations as they arise can mould your child's future relationship with alcohol, sex, mental health, love and every other issue that they are faced with in life.