All ages – Children of Alcoholics

Website and pamphlets available

www.nacoa.org.uk

KS 3, 4

Book

Different like me (teens worried about drinking parents) ISBN 093590834X

KS 1, 2

Book

I wish daddy didn’t drink so much ISBN 0807535265

KS 3, 4, 5

Pamphlet

Scriptographic 0800 028 5670

KS 2

Pamphlet

Some Mums and dads drink too much – NACOA 0117 924 8005

KS 3, 4

Book

The secret everybody knows ISBN 0894864831

KS 2

Pamphlet

We’ve seen people drinking – Portman Group - 020 7907 3700

KS 3, 4

Pamphlet

When a parent drinks too much - Alcohol Focus Scotland 0141 572 6700

KS 4, 5

Wall chart

What’s it like to kill someone - DoT 0870 122 6236

KS 4, 5

Video

Drinking and Driving – the aftermath - BITER Crown House Beaufort Court Birmingham B16 8LD

KS 4, 5

Pamphlet

Drinking and driving - IAS 01480 466766

KS 4, 5

Pamphlet, video and wall chart

Drinking and driving – a deadly decision - WRS 01253 820458

5 Mins

Introduction of topic and establishing that young people know the ground rules and have the prior knowledge

10 – 15 Minutes

Use of Scenarios– groups of 3 or 4

Either one scenario per group and then share information between groups or all scenarios to each group.

Questions:

• Who are these people?
• What is the occasion?
• What are your feelings about them?

Discussion follows to look at how a positive experience can become a negative one

Hand out 1

10 Mins

Useful to do a role play of two people drinking and seeing how their behaviour and speech changes over time – perhaps using a third person as narrator saying “after one drink. . . . . after two drinks . . . . after three drinks, etc."

This exercise is aimed at students understanding that small amounts of alcohol can have positive benefits whilst excess can lead to problems.

Fact sheet may not be appropriate for younger students at Key Stage 2 so an adapted handout might be useful for the teacher to prepare.

Hand out 2

20 Mins

Affects on the family – using the different case scenarios according to the age group.

You can get the groups to enact the scene (useful for Key Stage 2) or get the students to discuss the scenario (a competent group in Key Stage 4) but the teacher can mix and match these methods according to the strengths of the class.

Each scenario should be questioned – young people may want to know more background (i.e. is this a “one off” occurrence or does it happen regularly) The teacher may add to these scenarios to fit their knowledge of issues in the class.

The questions in Sheet four give a structure to the questioning and feed back that each group will do.

Hand out 3 and 4

Exploring your feelings when it is a friend’s drinking habits. Consequences and should you be telling someone else about a friend?

An 11 year old next door neighbour asks you to go to the off license and buy him some cider.

A friend is bringing alcohol to school mixed with their soft drink to see if they can get away with it.

Will it make a difference to you if this friend is sharing it with others?

Your friend is “tipsy” in the afternoon and falls asleep in lessons should you tell on them?

An older friend offers you a lift home but you know they have been drinking.

A friend of yours doesn’t drink alcohol because it is against his religion. Other people are making fun of him because of this.

You are travelling home on the bus and you notice that the driver is taking swigs from a hip flask.

Your friend has collapsed after drinking far too much.

Scenario 1

Two adults sitting at a table eating a meal with alcoholic drinks. They are both happy enjoying their meal, chatting and they have an alcoholic drink each which they have during their meal.

Scenario 2

A family group at a restaurant/pub each with snacks and alcohol including a teenager and a younger child aged 9ish. This is a family enjoying themselves together. The mother and father are drinking alcohol and they have two children 16 and 9 years old. The 16 year old is also enjoying an alcoholic drink with them.

Scenario 3

A mother in a car – baby strapped in at the back and the mother, sitting at the wheel of the car, drinking from a wine/spirit bottle.

Scenario 4

Family group at home sitting round and all with an alcoholic drink, including the children. The family at home sharing alcohol together. The very young child, aged 8, is also drinking alcohol but it has been diluted with some lemonade.

Scenario 5

Parents at home – obvious argument in progress evidence of alcohol drinking. Both parents have been drinking and the children are worried about the situation.

Scenario 6

Wedding with everyone toasting the bride and broom with champagne, including some young children. Everyone is holding a glass of champagne and are toasting the bride and broom, including all the children. photos

If drinks are consumed in quick succession there is an increased risk of harm.

Alcohol is measured in Units – 1 unit is equivalent to half a pint of ordinary beer or one small glass of wine (125ml), one measure of spirits using pub measures or just less than one alcopop.

The liver takes one hour to process one unit of alcohol.

The recommended maximum daily in take is 2-3 units for a woman and 3-4 units for a man.

Binge drinking is currently defined as drinking twice the daily recommendation in a session.

Units

Effects

1

Likelihood of having an accident increases

2-3

Mild intoxication; Feeling of warmth, skin flushed; become more cheerful; impaired judgment; decreased inhibitions

4-6

Intoxication in many people; increased impairment of judgment, inhibition, attention, and control; some impairment of muscular performance; slowing of reflexes. Quarrelsome.

7-9

Obvious intoxication in all normal people; staggering gait and other muscular in-coordination; slurred speech; double vision; memory and comprehension loss

More than 10

Extreme intoxication or stupour; reduced response to stimuli; inability to stand; vomiting; incontinence; sleepiness

More than 20

Coma; unconsciousness; little response to stimuli; incontinence; low body temperature; poor respiration; fall in blood pressure; clammy skin

More than 30

Alcoholic poisoning – death likely

Kylie has an older brother Wayne and they go out with their mum and dad to celebrate Wayne’s exam success. They have a meal and a bottle of wine. Kylie is worried about trying a glass of wine but Wayne and her dad keep telling her to drink some.

Rory is a friend of yours and during a school holiday you meet up in the local park. Rory has brought a bottle of whiskey with him. He says it was from “his dad’s stash” and he will be too drunk to know if any is missing. Rory is trying to get you to drink some with him.

Peter wants his friends to come home and play but his mum says that daddy is “unwell” and so he can’t have his friends come home. Peter knows that this means his dad is drinking again. Peter tells his friends a story to say why they can’t come to his house.

Susan always takes her younger brother home after school because her mother can’t come out to pick them up because she is usually working during the afternoon. On this particular afternoon when Susan gets home mum has been at home drinking and is now fast asleep.

Mahdri knows her mother drinks too much but just lately it seems to be worse and she thinks her younger brother is starting to notice. Today mum comes to pick them up in the car and take them home. Mum has been drinking and when they get home she says she isn’t well and goes to bed and leaves Mahdi to cook super for her little brother.

Michael gets home and his dad is really cross with him. His dad has been drinking and he is now drunk. He tells Michael to go to his room. His Dad starts having a go at Michael’s mum. Michael is in his room very worried about both of them.

Hamid ’s dad has lost his job and stays at home all day now. Hamid is worried that his dad is drinking too much. Today Hamid’s teacher is concerned about his work and phones home to talk to someone. Hamid’s teacher then asks Hamid about his dad and asks if there are any problems?

Kylie has an older brother Wayne and they go out with their mum and dad to celebrate Wayne’s first week at work. They go to the local pub and order a bite to eat and drinks. Kylie is worried about the amount her mum and dad are drinking because they end up staggering home.

Rory is a good friend of yours and on the way to youth club you meet him locally. He has some whiskey with him, which he has taken from his dad. He says his dad won’t notice because he is always drunk. Rory offers you a drink.

Peter brings his friends home after school to hang out at his place. When they get there his mum says that dad is ‘unwell’ and so he can’t have his friends come home. Peter knows that this means his dad is drinking again. Peter tells his friends a story to say why they can’t come into his house. They go to the local park instead.

Susan always takes her younger brother home after school from the junior school next door. Her mother can’t come out to pick them up because she sometimes works in the afternoon. On this particular afternoon when Susan gets home mum is fast asleep and the house is in a mess and there are bottles left around the place. Susan’s brother starts asking questions about this.

Mahdri knows her mother drinks too much but just lately it seems to be worse and she thinks her younger brother is starting to notice. Today mum comes to pick them up in the car and take them home. Mum has been drinking and when they get home she says she isn’t well and goes to bed and leaves Mahdi to cook super for her little brother.

Michael gets home and his dad is really cross with him. Hid dad has been drinking and he is now drunk. He tells Michael to go to his room and do his homework. His Dad starts having a go at Michael’s mum and there is a terrible row going on. It sounds like they are throwing things and screaming at each other. Michael is in his room.

Hamid ’s dad has lost his job and stays at home most days now. Hamid is worried that his dad is drinking too much. Today Hamid’s teacher is concerned about his work and phones home to talk to someone about this. Hamid’s teacher then asks Hamid about his dad and if there are any problems at home?