Parents encouraged to discuss Junior Cert celebrations with pupils

IN the week that the county’s young people receive their Junior Certificate results, drinkaware.ie is encouraging parents to talk to pupils about their celebration plans for Wednesday night.

Over 57,000 students are busy planning their celebrations next week.
In advance of the results, drinkaware.ie is reminding parents of the important influence they have on their children’s behaviour when it comes to alcohol.
“Parents have a critical role to play in discussing the use and misuse of alcohol with their teenage children and I would encourage them to get involved in their child’s celebrations. This is a great opportunity to celebrate and have fun with family and friends, so parents should consider inviting their child’s friends to their home to celebrate. If the child plans to celebrate outside the home, parents need to ask themselves if they know where their child is going to celebrate their results, who are they going with, will there be alcohol available and how are they planning on getting home,” Fionnuala Sheehan, drinkaware.ie CEO commented.
Ms Sheehan added, “It is important that in their discussions with children, parents dispel the myth that all their peers are drinking. It can often be difficult to approach the subject but there is plenty of help and advice specifically for parents of Junior Cert pupils available on drinkaware.ie.”
Ms Sheehan also urged licensees to exercise caution on results night.
“We are appealing to those licensed to sell and serve alcohol to be particularly vigilant on Wednesday night. It is illegal for under 18s to be sold alcohol and ID should be checked carefully especially when alcohol is delivered to a private residence,” she concluded.
Drinkaware.ie suggested that parents consider treating their child and some friends to a night at the cinema or another venue where alcohol is not available or enquire about who their child plans to celebrate with should it be necessary to contact them.
For more information, parents can download a copy of Alcohol – A Guide for Parents and the HSE’s Straight Talk: a guide for parents on teenage drinking on drinkaware.ie.