Prevention of alcohol use

A project for prevention of alcohol use "Solidarnost" – Union of Brewers

The national info-line for drugs and alcohol starts working in partnership with the Union of brewers Bulgaria on a project for prevention of alcohol use among teenagers.
From February 2011 the info-line is working with:

Parents of children, who experiment with alcohol
Parents of teenagers, who use alcohol regularly
Parents, who want to preserve their children from alcohol use

Every working day between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm the info-line will give you the following services according the project:

Consultations of parents on the number 0888 99 18 16, chat, e-mail and forum on www.drugsinfo-bg.org

Here are some sample questions, on which parents could appeal to us for:

How to talk with our child for alcohol use?
What is alcohol use prevention?
Alcohol – effects and risks
Alcohol and achievements in school
Limits (or lack of limits) of alcohol use in the family
Teenager party and alcohol
Alcohol use and parent’s behaviour
What to do if the alcohol use has become a problem in our children?

For Parents

Alcohol is one of the widespread and legally allowed psychoactive substances. The Bulgarian attitude of mind and culture make its presence unchanging. Bulgarians are usually used to observing most of the occasions (either pleasant or not) with alcohol use. More and more occasional become the inhibitions over the alcohol use. Studies show that parent's tolerance regarding alcohol use by their children is a lot higher in comparison with the times, when they were little. In a significant part of the families alcohol is being considered as a problem only after the consequences are obvious. In most cases parents are rather afraid of the risks alcohol use leads than the straight influence and consequences over the children's mentality and physics. The risk of "misuse" and "addiction" to alcohol are one of the least concerns of the parents. A misconception is still living in Bulgaria – "This couldn't happen to me, my family or my children! This is an absurd!!!" But is this a fact? And if this eventually happens what could we do after? Or probably the more proper question should be "What could we do to prevent from such thing to happen?". Creating a sufficiently informing view for our children about use and influence of alcohol, to build and develop his own responsibility regarding his health, actions and behaviour so as control to be achieved only by the child itself, with a little help by us – the parents. We cannot change the society, institutions or nation. We cannot make the world go round the way we want, and even if we could it wouldn't be enough because if we had the most perfect idealistic society, nation or environment, the main responsibility for what occurs with with ourselves, belongs not to thers but us. In most cases the fortress collapeses only because it betrays itself from the inside, not because the pressure from outside is too strong. In order the right choice to be made, a previous preparation is needed in which, dear parents, you are the key figures. We and the rest of the responsible individuals and institutions in this field are able to help and support you.
When our child drinks it is better to put our minds to why he/she does it. The use itself is a symptom of something completely different, happening in his inner world. Usually this kind of behaviour is an indicator of somthing irregular occurring with our child – whether it is in school among friends girlfriend/boyfriend or with you – the parents in the family. Alcohol comes as a kind of sleeping pill of these problems. He is there in order the child to "cope" with them, to forget them. Precisely this is your and our aim – to realize what is happening with the child (or to have previously prepared him/her so as not to reach the moment, where alcohol will be his/her best friend) before it has become too late.

Here is how we could be helpful for in this situation:

Help you find the right approach to conversation with your child, trying to create culture regarding alcohol use for him, as well as like a type of preventive measure for misuse. To support and help you build his personal responsibility and informed choice.
To offer you information regarding the influence and consequences of alcohol use.
To offer you information regarding the influence and consequences of alcohol in a way accessible enough for your children so as they understand and absorb the information.
To support and help you in cases where you have doubts for alcohol misuse by your child.