Final Position Paper-Underage Drinking

Parental Influence in Underage Drinking

Emily Shaw

Salt Lake Community College

Professor Stokes

English 2010

 Parental Influence in Underage Drinking

Alcohol and drug use and abuse are major problems in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States, more than tobacco and illicit drugs. Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States. More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinks” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], (n.d.) para.1). Because of the severity and complexity of problems associated with underage drinking I believe that parents who allow their kids to drink are neglectful. If they allow underage drinking they are increasing the chances of their teen becoming an alcoholic/addict, thus contributing to a lifetime of addiction, misery and even death.

In 2003 a survey was conducted by Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Chairman and President of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA). Results showed that, “more than 91 percent of respondents favor holding liable individuals who provide alcohol to minors.[However] Support was greater among respondents who seldom or never drink (95.1 percent) than among frequent drinkers (66.7 percent)” (CASA, 2003, p. 42). While the majority of adults believe there should be penalties for allowing underage drinking, clearly some do not.

Some parents feel that providing supervision and a safe place for teens to drink can prevent drinking and driving and other incidents such as injury, drug use, rape and overdose. They argue that thousands of teens die every year in drinking and driving related accidents. The numbers support their claim. A 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among high school students, during the past 30 days 42% drank some amount of alcohol, 24% binge drank, 10% drove after drinking alcohol and 28% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], (n.d.), para. 2). From 2001 to 2005, the average number of people who died each year in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents was 13,819 (CDC, 2010, para.2). While I am unsure how many of the deaths were teens, clearly it is a problem.

According to Califano, “Beer and other alcohol are implicated in the three top causes of teen deaths: accidents (including traffic fatalities and drowning), homicide and suicide” (CASA, 2003, p. ii).  It is inevitable that most teens will drink, regardless of what their parents say or what they’ve heard about the risks. Therefore, some may feel that providing a safe environment for this activity is crucial. Some may also feel that allowing a teen to drink instead of being rigid may limit the teen’s rebellion and allow a parent to detect a problem early on.

I agree that providing supervision to underage drinkers could save some lives. However, I believe it is unreasonable to think that supervision or approval will eliminate the high risks involved in using. Most teens that drink or use drugs do so often and do not want parental supervision. Therefore, it is illogical to think that a parent will be there to supervise and eliminate their child’s risk at all times. And what about the long-term effects of supporting their use? CASA reports, “Teen drinking is the number one source of adult alcoholism. Children who begin drinking before age 21 are more than twice as likely to develop alcohol-related problems. Those who begin drinking before age 15 are four times likelier to become alcoholics than those who do not drink before age 21” (CASA, 2003, p. ii).

Between 2001 and 2005 the average number of alcohol-related deaths each year in the United States was 79,646 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) , 2010, para. 1). While these numbers are large, alcohol not only kills people, it contributes to un-measurable social problems such as increasing school drop-out rates, drug use and crime. Only for so long will a parent be able to provide a safe environment for their teen to drink. Once they move out, who will prevent them from over consumption, drinking and driving, using drugs, engaging in dangerous behavior and overdosing then? Children should be taught the truth about alcohol. That it is a drug and it can be extremely destructive.

Underage drinking is a huge problem. The financial costs of underage drinking approach $53 billion in accidents, drowning, burns, violent crime, suicide attempts, fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol poisoning and emergency medical care” (CASA, 2003, pg. ii).  “In 2008, there were 141,683 admissions for adolescents aged 12 to 17 to substance abuse treatment programs” (Office of Applied Studies, 2010, pg. 3). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) conducted a 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). Survey results revealed; “About 9.7 million persons aged 12 to 20 reported drinking alcohol in the month prior to the survey interview in 2000 (27.5 percent of this age group). Of these, 6.6 million (18.7 percent of persons aged 12 to 20) were binge drinkers and 2.1 million (6.0 percent of persons aged 12 to 20) were heavy drinkers” (SAMHSA, 2000, para.3).

Unfortunately, many parents do not maintain appropriate boundaries nor are they being role models for their kids. While I understand the desire to be liked and friends with an adolescent child I believe that not creating and respectfully enforcing rules with a child is neglectful. Research shows that, “Higher levels of monitoring are related to lower levels of adolescent alcohol use. When parents establish explicit rules and boundaries for adolescent behavior, such as curfews and a minimum number of study hours per day, and when they reasonably and consistently enforce consequences for violating rules, adolescents tend to initiate alcohol use later and to consume alcohol less frequently” (Windle, Michael, et al., 2009, 30-40, para.46)  

For parents who support drinking and believe it is less catastrophic than other drugs, it is important to note that alcohol is a gateway drug. According to the 2000 NHSDA, “Underage persons who reported binge drinking were almost 9 times more likely to have used marijuana/hashish during the past month and were more than 6 times more likely to have used any illicit drug other than marijuana during the past month compared with underage persons who did not binge drink” (Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base, 2007, para. 6). It is clear that enabling a child to drink also increases the chances that he or she will become a drug addict.

As a parent, I feel it is my responsibility to keep my child safe. If she chooses to drink I would love to be around at all times to make sure she is safe. Like all parents I fear that she could be raped, overdose or die in an accident related to drinking or using drugs. However, regardless of my fears, I will not support or enable my child in doing something that could compromise her health, happiness or eventually kill her. The research is overwhelmingly clear that the earlier a teen uses, the greater the chances he/she will develop a problem. Parents should not contribute to this problem. The sad truth is that alcohol destroys lives. Ultimately, it is each parent’s choice to make. I, personally, do not want to be held liable for contributing to a lifetime of addiction and misery for my child.

References

Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base. (2007). Binge Drinking Among Underage  Persons. Retrieved September 22, 2010 from http://www.adolescent-substance-abuse.com/binge-drinking-underage.html

Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010, September). Alcohol-Attributable Deaths Report, Average for United States 2001-2005. Retrieved September 27, 2010 from https://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/ardi/HomePage.aspx, para. 1.

CASA. (2003, February). Teen Tipplers: America's Underage Drinking Epidemic. Retrieved September 21, 2010 from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University: http://www.ccage.org/images/UnderageDrinkingEpidemic.pdf, ii, 42.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (n.d.). Alcohol and Public Health Fact Sheet. Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/Alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm, para. 1-2.

NIAAA Press Office. (2006, July 3). Early Drinking Linked to Higher Lifetime Alcoholism Risk. Retrieved September 24, 2010, from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/NewsEvents/NewsReleases/earlydrinking.htm

Office of Applied Studies. (2010, April 29). A Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Use Facts Update. The OAS Report. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from SAMHSA: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/185/185TypicalDayHTML.pdf, 3.

SAMHSA. (2000, August). 2000 National Survey on Drug Use & Health Chapter 3. Alcohol Use. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NHSDA/2kNHSDA/chapter3.htm, para.3.

Windle, Michael P., Spear, Linda P., Fuligni, Andrew J., Angold, Adrian, M. P., Brown, Jane D., P., Pine, Daniel, M., et al. (2009). Transitions Into Underage and Problem Drinking: Summary of Developmental Processes and Mechanisms: Ages 10–15. A Developmental Perspective on Underage Alcohol Use Retrieved September 21, 2010 from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh321/toc32-1.htm, 30-40, para. 46.