 Welcome to the first edition of the Small Talks: How WI Prevents Underage Drinking Quarterly Newsletter. We plan to share underage drinking talk facts and tips with you once a quarter throughout the year. Small Talks is a statewide campaign encouraging adults – especially parents and caregivers – to have short, casual conversations about the dangers of underage drinking with the children in their lives starting at age eight.
Take our survey
We want to know your attitudes and behaviors regarding underage drinking. Take our short survey. If you've already taken this survey, tell your friends and family to complete it. We are seeking responses from all adults in Wisconsin. This survey will close at the end of the day May 20, 2020. The responses will inform our efforts to prevent underage drinking.
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Featured resource: Talk tips
Think kids won’t listen to you? Think again. Research shows that parents and other caring adults are the most powerful influence on children’s choices about underage drinking. That means you can make a real difference, especially if you start early. Don’t worry; it’s easier than you may think. We can show you how. Check out our talk tips.
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A great moment to talk with kids about alcohol
Families are spending more time together than ever before due to precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now is a great moment to talk with kids about alcohol. You can have a small talk anytime, anywhere.
Answering tough questions
Some questions about alcohol can be hard to answer, so it’s important to be prepared. In partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, we'll feature a few of these common questions and answers in every newsletter. Are you struggling to answer a question about alcohol from a young person in your life? Email us. We'll help you answer it.
“What if my friends ask me to drink?”
Helping your child say “no” to peer pressure is one of the most important things you can do to keep them alcohol-free. Work with your child to think of a way to handle this situation, whether it is simply saying, “No, I don’t drink,” or “I have to go to work tomorrow."
"You drink alcohol, so why can’t I?”
Remind your child that underage drinking can harm their brain and body. Point out that adults are fully developed mentally and physically, so they can handle moderate drinking. Children’s minds and bodies, however, are still growing, so alcohol can have a greater effect on their judgment and health.
Data digest: New dashboard
While Wisconsin has been successful in reducing underage drinking, preventing youth and young
adults under the age of 21 from using alcohol remains a challenge that affects all Wisconsin
communities and families. Our new Alcohol Use: Youth Population data dashboard shows trends in alcohol use by Wisconsin youth.
Honor roll
We've scanned social media and would to thank the following organizations for promoting the Small Talks campaign in their community. Want to be featured here? Be sure to tag your social media posts with #SmallTalksWI. Keep up the good work!
- Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention
- Better Brodhead
- Healthy Communities Healthy Youth Coalition
- The Human Service Center
- Jefferson County Drug Free Coalition
- Northwoods Coalition
- Lodi Community Action Team
- Portage County Coalition for Alcohol/Drug Abuse Prevention
- REACH Waushara
- Taylor County Drug Opposition Partners - Drug Free Communities
- Washburn County Community Alliance for Prevention
- Winnebago County Drug & Alcohol Coalition
See our partners toolkit for resources you can use to promote the Small Talks campaign in your community.
Press clips
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Prevent Underage Drinking: Have Small Talks, Antigo Times, April 21, 2020
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Wisconsin Department of Health Services launches campaign to prevent underage drinking, WFRV-TV, April 21, 2020
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The Role Of Alcohol In Wisconsin Life, Health, And Politics, WORT-FM, April 29, 2020
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