Dealing with "But, Mom, everybody drinks!!"

Karen Khaleghi, PhD, gives parents real information on the statistics of teen drinking and how this can help you talk to your kids about abstaining from alcohol
Parenting Teens | Dealing with your child's casual attitude about teenage drinking
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Dealing with "But, Mom, everybody drinks!!"

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Parents need to understand that if there are half the kids that are using, there are half the kids that aren't. So when your child comes to you and says, "But everyone is doing it." You need to understand that everybody's not, and they can help themselves by understanding that everybody's not. As a parent of four, I can tell you I've heard that argument many, many times. And I point out to them, "There's half the kids that are using, and half the kids that aren't. What is so appealing about the kids that are using? Do they look like they're having more fun? Are they more cool? What is it? What's the draw?" And if you help draw that out in your child and help them to understand what that draw is, you can help them to deal wth it in a different way. Is that kid who's falling down drunk really the cool kid? My daughters used to say to their brother, "You can have any girlfriend you want if you're the sober kid at the party. Because no girl wants to hang out with the drunk guy on the floor." So you can help them to see that there are half the kids that are using, and half the kids that aren't, and understand that they can create their own cool.

Karen Khaleghi, PhD, gives parents real information on the statistics of teen drinking and how this can help you talk to your kids about abstaining from alcohol

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Karen Khaleghi, PhD

Co-founder of Creative Care Malibu

Dr. Karen Khaleghi is a pioneer in the field of dual diagnosis, or co-occurring drug and alcohol addiction along with mental health disorders. As one of the co-founders of Creative Care in Malibu and co-author of The Anatomy of Addiction, Dr. Karen speaks to parents and organizations about the formation of addiction, the critical aspects of nature and nurture and the resulting disconnection between emotions and behavior as well as the genesis of addiction and the path to recovery, a process she calls "connecting the dots." 

There are many things that set Dr. Karen Khaleghi apart from others including her individualized treatment approaches and excellent treatment facility Creative Care which is filled with clinical staff comprised of professionals that offer the highest standard of care in the industry. Karen graduated from California Graduate Institute with her Ph.D in 1989 and lives in Los Angeles, CA with her loving husband and children. Dr. Karen Khaleghi has been featured on The Today Show, KCAL 9, Dr. Phil and many others!

 

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Transcription: 
Parents need to understand that if there are half the kids that are using, there are half the kids that aren't. So when your child comes to you and says, "But everyone is doing it." You need to understand that everybody's not, and they can help themselves by understanding that everybody's not. As a parent of four, I can tell you I've heard that argument many, many times. And I point out to them, "There's half the kids that are using, and half the kids that aren't. What is so appealing about the kids that are using? Do they look like they're having more fun? Are they more cool? What is it? What's the draw?" And if you help draw that out in your child and help them to understand what that draw is, you can help them to deal wth it in a different way. Is that kid who's falling down drunk really the cool kid? My daughters used to say to their brother, "You can have any girlfriend you want if you're the sober kid at the party. Because no girl wants to hang out with the drunk guy on the floor." So you can help them to see that there are half the kids that are using, and half the kids that aren't, and understand that they can create their own cool.