"Mom, parties really aren't fun if there is no alcohol," says 15-year-old son. Teenagers grow up believing that it is normal to have alcohol at parties and social occasions and that you need alcohol to have fun. 

 

Saskia of Happy Sober educated high schools and heard from adolescents themselves that the reason they drink is because of peer pressure and also to forget their problems. It first becomes a habit, then an escape after which it can turn into an addiction. Adolescent drinking is not decreasing, in fact it is increasing. 46.6 percent of young people under 18 drink in the Netherlands. 

What is our role as parents in this? What is the conversation we may have with each other and young people really about: the drinking or about learning how to deal with life and our sensitivity, and how to be yourself in a world full of stimuli, pressure and challenges? 

 

On Monday, Jan. 30, Saskia van der Zee and E&M Talks will discuss the alcohol use of the teenage generation, what is happening there and how we as parents can deal with it. 

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This webinar is in Dutch.