Kick Underage Drinking Myths to the Curb

 

Drug-free! (Photo credit: DamienHR)

With graduation and summer parties just around the corner, I was thinking about what it means to be a parent with children who are at an age where they may drink. No, I’m not talking about kids who are 21 years old. I’m talking about underage drinking. Because, let’s face it, many of us drank illegally when we were kids and so will our children no matter how hard we try.

While many parents may think  allowing their teens and their teens’ friends to drink at home under adult supervision keeps kids safe and leads to healthier attitudes about drinking, the truth is that there are serious negative consequences for both parents and teens. The Partnership at Drugfree.org and The Treatment Research Institute (TRI) recently announced a new, interactive web resource for parents and caregivers to help inform them about one of those negative consequences: parents’ legal liabilities if they serve alcohol to teens.

“As someone, but especially as a mom, in recovery from alcohol abuse, I know firsthand that drinking at an early age can have some pretty serious consequences,” said actress Melissa Gilbert, spokesperson for The Partnership at Drugfree.org. “There really is no safe way for teenagers and underage kids to drink alcohol. Parents – even well-intentioned parents – who allow kids to do so in their homes are under the false sense of security that it’s less dangerous. But there’s more harm than good in their actions.”

Unfortunately, many parents subscribe to common myths and misperceptions related to underage drinking. Let’s kick some of those myths to the curb!

Myth: Some parents think  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.

New Web Resource Helps Educate Parents on State-By-State Liabilities of Providing Alcohol to Teens

The new resource, which can be found at drugfree.org features an interactive map of the United States and explains each state’s “social hosting” laws in detail, while outlining the civil and criminal penalties for adults who serve alcohol to minors. For the purposes of this tool, social hosting was interpreted as broadly as possible: defined as “when an individual over the legal age (18 or 21) serves, furnishes or permits the possession or consumption of alcohol to a person underage (generally 20 years or younger) on property for which s/he has responsibility.”

The launch of the resource comes amid prom and graduation season, already underway across the country, and a time when many parents will face the decision of whether or not to allow underage teens to drink alcohol in their homes.

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.

About The Partnership at Drugfree.org

Ninety percent of addictions start in the teenage years. The Partnership at Drugfree.org is dedicated to solving the problem of teen substance abuse. Together with experts in science, parenting and communications, the nonprofit translates research on teen behavior, addiction and treatment into useful and effective resources for both individuals and communities. Working toward a vision where all young people will be able to live their lives free of drug and alcohol abuse, The Partnership at Drugfree.org works with parents and other influencers to help them prevent and get help for drug and alcohol abuse by teens and young adults. The organization depends on donations from individuals, corporations, foundations and the public sector and is thankful to SAG-AFTRA and the advertising and media industries for their ongoing generosity. If you or someone you know is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, please call The Parents Toll-Free Helpline at 1-855-DRUGFREE.

 

6 Comments

  1. Alcohol isms has been my major mission to solve! Text books tell me forget it, beating a dead horse. My life’s experience has TAUGHT me much!

    My son sustained a head injury in 2011 and now joins the ranks of the Silently Suffering TBIs. As I learned about the brain damage that occurs with a head injury I could not help noticing my greatest problem coping with him was he seemed no different then when he actively consumed alcohol.

    I “think”, very strongly, that when a person drinks alcohol they lose brain cells. Now the old cliche when I was a teenager was, “we have so many” what’s a few we won’t use. I “believe” we and the alcoholic don’t have not a one we should lose! I also feel that society refuses to actively look at the problem alcoholism is.

    I see the problems now but felt so alone as a teen. I didn’t see active alcoholism in my home. Never seen my mother drunk but saw her tolerate way to much. She also became a bar owner of which I never understood.

    Mother as well as my self to include my grandmother never drank. I didn’t see violence in direct relation to alcohol like i’ve seen since, not in my family. But, my grandmother always argued with my grandfather about work to be done, how it was to be done, … . Most of us cleared out, walked away. It passed as quick as it came.

    Mother never did nor could keep nor sustain any male/female relations, surely this contribute to as why I myself could not as well.

    I could not wrap my “brain” around the “whole” alcoholism until my ex-husband came to me to make an amends. He quit drinking but switch his addiction to gambling. I’ve learned to make and keep a boundary ~ finally.

    I don’t mean to wonder but the disease of alcoholism is so far reaching, I realize NOW, it’s passed on through the generations like a curse!

    I’ve just recently “realized” how truly anger will block you from seeing REALITY and how we become “delusional” about what another person is really thinking, feeling, intents, and meaning.

    We need to target the sick enablers, I got the leasts help in therapies then the alcoholic. It was the alcoholic coming to me making an amends. I told him I thought he was just a blank hole, seriously. I remember telling him I didn’t see our TV go out the front door so didn’t even think he ranked as an alcoholic.

    Wow, was I sick? Yes, sicker and less help understanding. what this disease looked like in a family, friend, society.

    I’ve got many years in recovery now but really since my son’s injury am I able to relate true brain damage and put it to a alcoholic and their thinking. Identical!

    If we want to help our teens take care of teaching the parents first. This needs to be a required course in high school middle school, grade school. Strategies to get these affected “profoundly” to identify “stinking thinking”. blaming others vs taking responsibility for himself! Teens are confused because they don’t have a mature adult to help them, understand them nor teach them the patience they need to develop for himself so they can find tolerance in society.

    There was no alcohol in my home or I should say the brandy bottle was years old Christmas after Christmas, but there was no tolerance at all for any shenanigans of any sort! I feel like my kids walked all over me, something I didn’t do growing up.

    Peace, Arletta Paavola 8i

  2. Wow! Some of the myths are crazy! Underage drinking is a huge problem, and more parents need to made aware of the dangers! Thanks for posting this!

  3. Thanks for this info.

    I will be using it in teaching my health class to the at-risk kids I teach this summer.

  4. Reblogged this on Addiction ~ A Profound Life Was Had By All and commented:
    Alcohol isms has been my major mission to solve! Text books tell me forget it, beating a dead horse. My life’s experience has TAUGHT me much!
    My son sustained a head injury in 2011 and now joins the ranks of the Silently Suffering TBIs. As I learned about the brain damage that occurs with a head injury I could not help noticing my greatest problem coping with him was he seemed no different then when he actively consumed alcohol.
    I “think”, very strongly, that when a person drinks alcohol they lose brain cells. Now the old cliche when I was a teenager was, “we have so many” what’s a few we won’t use. I “believe” we and the alcoholic don’t have not a one we should lose! I also feel that society refuses to actively look at the problem alcoholism is.
    I see the problems now but felt so alone as a teen. I didn’t see active alcoholism in my home. Never seen my mother drunk but saw her tolerate way to much. She also became a bar owner of which I never understood.
    Mother as well as my self to include my grandmother never drank. I didn’t see violence in direct relation to alcohol like i’ve seen since, not in my family. But, my grandmother always argued with my grandfather about work to be done, how it was to be done, … . Most of us cleared out, walked away. It passed as quick as it came.
    Mother never did nor could keep nor sustain any male/female relations, surely this contribute to as why I myself could not as well.
    I could not wrap my “brain” around the “whole” alcoholism until my ex-husband came to me to make an amends. He quit drinking but switch his addiction to gambling. I’ve learned to make and keep a boundary ~ finally.
    I don’t mean to wonder but the disease of alcoholism is so far reaching, I realize NOW, it’s passed on through the generations like a curse!
    I’ve just recently “realized” how truly anger will block you from seeing REALITY and how we become “delusional” about what another person is really thinking, feeling, intents, and meaning.
    We need to target the sick enablers, I got the leasts help in therapies then the alcoholic. It was the alcoholic coming to me making an amends. I told him I thought he was just a blank hole, seriously. I remember telling him I didn’t see our TV go out the front door so didn’t even think he ranked as an alcoholic.
    Wow, was I sick? Yes, sicker and less help understanding. what this disease looked like in a family, friend, society.
    I’ve got many years in recovery now but really since my son’s injury am I able to relate true brain damage and put it to a alcoholic and their thinking. Identical!
    If we want to help our teens take care of teaching the parents first. This needs to be a required course in high school middle school, grade school. Strategies to get these affected “profoundly” to identify “stinking thinking”. blaming others vs taking responsibility for himself! Teens are confused because they don’t have a mature adult to help them, understand them nor teach them the patience they need to develop for himself so they can find tolerance in society.
    There was no alcohol in my home or I should say the brandy bottle was years old Christmas after Christmas, but there was no tolerance at all for any shenanigans of any sort! I feel like my kids walked all over me, something I didn’t do growing up.
    Peace, Arletta Paavola 8i

  5. This is a true and serious issue and one that becomes more important in my immediate life every day – being the mother of a 15 year old. Thank you for this post!

    And, thank you for taking part in the Virtual Girls Night Out!

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