“Childhood drinking is foremost a health issue. Many well-intentioned parents think that supplying alcohol for their child to drink at home may teach them how to ‘drink responsibly’ and might prevent them from drinking elsewhere. But the truth is that early consumption of alcohol in any context increases the likelihood of harmful effects in the long run. What’s more, studies have shown that when parents supply alcohol to their kids, it actually increases the risk for continued consumption during childhood and lifetime problem drinking. Drinking in the home does not prevent children from drinking outside the home or with their friends.”
– Steve Pasierb, President and CEO of The Partnership at Drugfree.org.
Unfortunately, many parents subscribe to common myths and misperceptions related to underage drinking:
Myth:
Some parents think that providing alcohol to teens at home
decreases the risk for continued drinking as teens get older,
and subsequent drinking problems later in life.
Truth:
The opposite is true – parents should be aware that supplying alcohol to minors
actually increases, rather than decreases the risk for continued drinking
in the teenage years and leads to subsequent problem drinking later in life.
Myth:
Young people from European cultures whose parents give them alcohol at an early age
learn to drink more responsibly than their American counterparts.
Truth:
A greater percentage of European youth report drinking regularly (in the past 30 days)
versus American youth, and for a majority of European countries,
a greater percentage of young people report having been intoxicated before the age of 13
than is the case in the U.S. The World Health Organization cites global longitudinal studies
that found the earlier young people start drinking,
the more likely they are to experience alcohol-related injury and alcohol dependence later in life.
Myth:
Some parents believe that being ‘too strict’ about adolescent drinking during high school
will cause teens to drink more when they first leave the home
and do not have as much parental oversight.
Truth:
New research from The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) reveals that teens
who perceive their parents to be more permissive about alcohol use
are MORE likely to abuse alcohol and to use other drugs.
Myth:
Parents who serve alcohol to teenagers at home are under no legal jeopardy.
Truth:
A majority of states have civil and or criminal penalties for adults
who serve alcohol to underage kids at home.
Underage drinking continues to be a pervasive problem
among American youth. According to the latest
Monitoring The Future study of 8th, 10th and 12th graders:
- Nearly half of teens (44 percent) have consumed alcohol within the past year, while more than one in four teens (26 percent) reports having been drunk in the past year.
- More than a quarter of teens (26 percent) said they had consumed alcohol within the past month, while more than one in seven (15 percent) reported being drunk in the past month.
- One in seven teens (14 percent) said they have had five or more drinks in a row within the past 2 weeks.
- More than three-quarters of 10th graders (78 percent) say it is fairly or very easy to get alcohol if they want some and more than half of 8th graders (58 percent) say the same.
- Information from The Partnership at Drugfree.org
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