The Epidemic

Many more teens use alcohol than tobacco or illegal drugs. By the time our children are high school seniors, more than 80 percent have used alcohol and approximately 64 percent have been drunk. The highest prevalence of alcohol dependence in the U.S. population is among 18 to 20 year olds who typically began drinking years earlier.

Although considerable attention has been focused on the serious consequences of underage drinking and driving, mounting research suggests that alcohol causes more damage to the developing brains of teenagers than was previously thought, injuring them significantly more than it does adult brains. Drinking is related to factors in the adolescent’s environment, cultural issues, and an adolescent’s individual characteristics and how it affects their future.

Underage drinking is not just a youth problem. It is also very much an adult problem. Adults continue to allow those under the legal drinking age to drink—illegally—by selling alcohol to those under 21, providing or purchasing alcohol, looking the other way when teens openly talk about their drinking exploits and refusing to hold other adults and youth accountable for breaking the law.

In most homes parents are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their kids safe. In their infancy, we have them immunized to ward off disease. When they begin to establish independence as young children we discuss "stranger danger" to give them skills to protect themselves. We set curfews and emphasize safe driving habits as our teens start to drive. We are even willing to talk to them about the dangers of drugs.

Preventing teens from drinking before they are 21 may be the most difficult issue for parents to discuss. Teen drinking is often thought of as a rite of passage, glamorized on television shows and romanticized in teen movies. Drinking is a legal activity for adults and is very common among the parents that are now trying to talk to their teens. It runs deep in our culture and for these reasons, it often leaves many parents speechless.
Is this why parents aren't dealing with it?

Parents can make a difference. We need to stop being afraid to SAY NO. We need to support each other in our efforts. We need to work together to make a difference.

Educate yourself about why it's so bad, how much parental influence really counts, and what you can do about it. Use the resources to get information you can use and to learn more about what you can do to bring about change in your home and in your community.