BATON ROUGE, LA – With prom season
underway and graduations soon approaching, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff
Landry is declaring now a great time for families throughout our State to have
conversations about underage drinking.
“As a father, I would do anything
to protect my child; and as Attorney General, I am working hard to help keep
your kids safe,” said Attorney General Jeff Landry. “One way we can all work
together to make Louisiana a safer place is to talk to our children about the
dangers and consequences of underage drinking.”
“These conversations are
important, valuable, and meaningful in influencing kids’ decision to drink – or
not drink – alcohol,” continued Attorney General Landry. “So I encourage all
parents and guardians to guide their children in saying ‘yes’ to a healthy
lifestyle.”
Throughout the month of April - Alcohol Responsibility Awareness Month –
Attorney General Landry and the Louisiana Department of Justice have teamed up
with Responsibility.org to educate the people of our State on this issue. Their
work includes a 30-second public service announcement on how kids and
alcohol do not mix.
In addition to the resources for
starting these conversations available at www.AskListenLearn.org, Attorney General Landry offers the following tips for
parents and guardians:
- Have meaningful conversations
with your kids on the importance of being responsible.
- Let them know that
underage is drinking is illegal and dangerous.
- Teach them how their brains are still growing which makes the effects of alcohol greater for them than for adults.
- Do not worry about the conversations being perfect; the only bad conversation is the one you do not
- Lead by example; inspire your children to make healthy decisions.
- Establish trust so your kids can come to you when they need you the most.
“Research shows that parents and
caregivers are already doing a great job – 74% of 8th graders report they have
never consumed alcohol, a statistic that has decreased 63% proportionally since
1991,” concluded Attorney General Landry. “So I thank all who have done their part
to keep Louisiana’s children safe and again encourage everyone to help this
cause.”