Draft of Position Paper APA style

Parental Influence in Underage Drinking

Emily Shaw

Salt Lake Community College

Professor Stokes

English 2010

Paper- Parental Influence in Teen Drinking

Alcoholism and drug addiction is a major problem in the United States. Blank people die every year of alcohol or drug related deaths. Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Chairman and President of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University issued a report stating, “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 (Califano).” Parents who allow their teens to drink can increase the chances of their teen becoming an alcoholic/addict, thus contributing to a lifetime of addiction, misery and eventually death.

            Some parents feel that providing supervision and a safe place for teens to drink can prevent drinking and driving, and other incidents such as drug use, rape and overdose. (NEED RESEARCH TO BACK UP STATEMENT) They argue that thousands of teens die every year in drinking and driving related accidents. The numbers support their claim. On average BLANK teens die each year in drinking and driving accidents. Some believe that if they provide a safe place for their child to drink, lives could be saved. It is inevitable that most teens will drink, regardless of what their parents say or what they’ve heard about the risks. Therefore, some believe 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 prevent them from hiding the amount they use so that a problem may be detected early.

While I agree that providing supervision to underage drinkers could save some lives, I believe it is unreasonable to think that it eliminates 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? 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 keep them from drinking and driving, using drugs, engaging in dangerous behavior and overdosing then?

Another problem I see with allowing use is that not all teens drink merely for fun. If a parent allows their child or other underage individual to drink they may be neglecting to notice significant underlying reasons for their use. Some teens may be unable to reach out for help, or may not know how to handle a situation and therefore may choose to cope by using substances to mask their problems.

In a survey conducted by Califano, results showed that, “Seven out of 10 respondents (72.4 percent) agree that penalties should be imposed on parents whose children engage in underage drinking. However there was greater support for penalties for parents among respondents who seldom or never drink (77 percent) than among frequent drinkers (51.9 percent) (Califano).” Clearly, parents who drink themselves are more likely to allow underage kids to do it too. Unfortunately, many parents do not maintain appropriate boundaries nor are they being role models for their kids. I believe this is neglectful.

Underage drinking is a huge problem. A 2000 survey conducted found that, “almost one in five underage persons aged 12 to 20 was a binge drinker, drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion on at least one day in the past 30 days. The rate of binge drinking among underage persons was almost as high as among adults aged 21 or older (Adolescent).” 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).” Therefore allowing a child to drink increases the chances of him or her heading down an even deadlier path of becoming 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 to make sure she is not in any danger. Like all parents I fear that she could be raped, overdose or die in an accident related to drinking or using drugs. I also want to be close to her and have her like me during the years that she may choose to drink or use 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 says it all. “The younger a person starts drinking the higher the chance he/she will develop a problem (Califano, 2003).” Parents should not contribute to this problem. Too many (BLANK) people die every year as a result of drugs and alcohol. The sad truth (I say sad because it would be great if everyone could just be casual drinkers) is that alcohol destroys lives.

Rather than supporting or allowing underage drinking to occur parents should be educating their children about the risks they are taking if they decide to use. Trying to control or monitor their drinking may save their lives today but could be sentencing them to death eventually. The fact remains that if a teen decides to drink, he/she is taking a risk of encountering multitudes of problems that may come along with it. Because of all the risks involved I believe that parents who allow or support underage kids in drinking are setting their children up to fail. They are opening the doors for their child to a lifetime of addiction. Ultimately, it is each parent’s choice to make, but I, personally, do not want to be held liable for contributing to a lifetime of misery for my child.

References

Califano, Joseph, Jr. (2003, February). Name of Text. Retrieved from http://www.ccage.org/images/UnderageDrinkingEpidemic.pdf

Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base (2007). Retrieved from http://www.adolescent-substance-abuse.com/binge-drinking-underage.html