Teen Binge Drinking

Raising teenagers is a tough job. I know I’m not the only mom who worries about the challenges our children face, including the issue of teenage drinking. There are many reasons to be concerned: Youth who use alcohol are at greater risk for unprotected sexual intercourse, coerced sexual activity, use of marijuana, and poor academic performance. Alarmingly, in 2002 nearly one-third of all traffic deaths among youth ages 15 to 20 were alcohol-related. And then there are the long-term health problems of binge drinking--"including cancer, liver, pancreatic and cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders and reproductive system disorders”.

The good news is that recent studies show that binge drinking has been declining among eighth and tenth graders “from 15 percent of eighth graders in 1999 to 11 percent in 2005 and [from] 26 percent of tenth graders in 2000 to 21 percent in 2005.” However, “the rate for twelfth graders has remained at 28 percent”.

Parents who are concerned about their teenager’s drinking can monitor a teen’s drinking behavior and be aware of their friends drinking behavior as well. They can communicate with their teens about the risks of drinking and make their views clear. Parents may also need to look at their own drinking behavior and see what it communicates to their teens, as “parents' drinking behavior and favorable attitudes about drinking have been positively associated with adolescents' initiating and continuing drinking”.

For more information:

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa37.htm

http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/?q=node/140

http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/?q=node/140

Source: Suzanna Smith, associate professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida.

Parents Give Teens Alcohol

The discussion about the drinking age comes up with some frequency in my classes for parents with adolescents and teens. It can be a challenge that many parents face. Yet, one recent study found that parents are in fact the source of alcohol for many teens today.


Using surveys of sixth, seventh and eighth graders from a middle school in urban Chicago, researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of Florida studied alcohol use and sources of alcohol among these young teens. It’s common to hear about kids with fake ID’s who have been able to purchase alcohol and get into clubs, or older siblings and neighbors who provide alcohol to younger children. However, according to this study, social sources including family and friends were the most likely source of alcohol for these underage drinkers. In addition, parents were the primary source of alcohol to the middle school students in this study.

By the time they were in 8th grade, these students had increased their access to other sources, and were “taking alcohol from home, and getting alcohol from other adults, individuals under 21, and commercial sources”.

The researchers concluded that their findings reinforce the importance of educating parents about the impacts of providing alcohol to their children and their children’s friends. They recommended that parents who consume alcohol should be vigilant about locking up or monitoring alcohol in their homes. They also suggest that parents who provide their children with alcohol for special occasions or religious events should consider the subsequent effects, including increased risk behaviors associated with early acceptance of alcohol.

So if you’re considering supplying (or already supply) alcohol to your underage teens and their friends, you might want to consider the consequences.