The Chance That Children Will Use
Alcohol Increases as They Get Older.
About 10 percent of 12-year-olds say
they have tried alcohol, but by age 15, that number jumps to 50 percent. The
sooner you talk to your children about alcohol, the greater chance you have of
influencing their decisions about drinking.[1]
Parents
Play a Critical Role in Children’s Decisions to Experiment with Alcohol.
Studies have shown that parents have a
significant influence on young people’s decisions about alcohol consumption,[2] especially when parents create supportive and
nurturing environments in which their children can make their own decisions.[3]
In fact, around 80 percent of children feel that parents should have a say in
whether they drink alcohol.[4],[5]
The
Conversation Is Often More Effective Before Children Start Drinking.
If you talk to your kids directly and
honestly, they are more likely to respect your rules and advice about alcohol
use.
Some
Children May Try Alcohol as Early as 9 Years Old.
Most 6-year-olds know that alcohol is
only for adults. Between the ages of 9 and 13, children start to view alcohol
more positively. Many children begin to think underage drinking is OK. Some
even start to experiment. It is never too early to talk to your children about
alcohol.[6]
If
You Do Not Talk About It, You Are Still Saying Something.
What you say to your children about
alcohol is up to you. But remember, parents who do not discourage underage
drinking may have an indirect influence on their children’s alcohol use.[7]
• Talk early and
often, in developmentally appropriate ways, with children and teens about your
concerns—and theirs—regarding alcohol. Adolescents who know their parents’
opinions about youth drinking are more likely to fall in line with their
expectations.
• Establish
policies early on, and be consistent in setting expectations and enforcing
rules. Adolescents do feel that parents should have a say in decisions about
drinking, and they maintain this deference to parental authority as long as
they perceive the message to be legitimate; consistency is central to
legitimacy.
• Work with other
parents to monitor where kids are gathering and what they are doing. Being
involved in the lives of adolescents is key to keeping them safe.
• Work in and
with the community to promote dialogue about underage drinking and the creation
and implementation of action steps to address it.
• Be aware of
your State’s laws about providing alcohol to your own children.
• Never provide
alcohol to someone else’s child.
To help parents in preventing and
reducing adolescent alcohol and drug use, The Partnership at Drugfree.org
provides information and tools through its website, its community education
programs, and its public service messages.
Other web resources: www.theantidrug.com, www.timetotalk.org- Great
Parent Talk Kit, www.drugfreeactionalliance.org, www.drugfree.org. Parents, family, and friends of kids please
make sure to check out these sites or contact the SAFE Coalition for more
information on issues that kids are facing today. Van Buren County SAFE Coalition: 319-293-3334
ext. 1017, info@vbsafecoalition.com or check us out online at www.vbsafecoalition.com
and on Facebook – Van Buren County SAFE Coalition.
[1] U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action
to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: A Guide to Action for Educators. U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2007.
[2] Nash,
S.G., McQueen, A., and Bray, J.H. (2005). Pathways to adolescent alcohol use:
Family environment, peer influence, and parental expectations. Journal of
Adolescent Health, 37(1), 19–28.
[3] Barnes,
G.M., Reifman, A.S., Farrell, M.P., and Dintcheff, B.A. (2000). The effects of
parenting on the development of adolescent alcohol misuse: A six-wave latent
growth model. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(1), 175–186.
[4] Jackson,
C. (2002). Perceived legitimacy of parental authority and tobacco and alcohol
use during early adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health 31(5), 425–432.
[5] Nash,
S.G., McQueen, A., and Bray, J.H. (2005). Pathways to adolescent alcohol use:
Family environment, peer influence, and parental expectations. Journal of
Adolescent Health, 37(1), 19–28.
[6] U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action
to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: A Guide to Action for Educators. U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2007.
[7] Sieving,
R.E., Maruyama, G., Williams, C.L., and Perry, C.L. (2000). Pathways to
adolescent alcohol use: Potential mechanisms of parent influence. Journal of
Research on Adolescence, 10(4), 489–514.
[8] U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, 2007
