Posts Tagged ‘Underage Drinking’

Underage Drinking – Illegal even Under the Roof!

Posted on Jun 13, 2011

There are many states in the country which are very strict about underage drinking and it can lead to serious consequences. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 30 percent of teenagers between ages 12-20 are prone to alcohol consumption. Statistics indicate that teens tend to start their alcohol consumption experience as early as 12 years which accounting to about 4.2 percent.Underage drinking among teenagers doubles every year, with 40 percent of 17-year-old reporting use alcohol at least once a month.

Consumption of Alcohol by Teenagers at Home

Most of the time these teenagers get their alcohol from bars and liquor shops but state laws also indicates that they get it from their homes as well. According to a study conducted by the Century Council, 65 percent of underage drinking teenagers are able to access their alcohol from relatives or friends under the roof and only 7 percent of them get it from retailers.

Consequences of Underage Drinking for Parents

Though most of the states maintain laws that enable teenagers to drink at home in the presence of their parents or guardian, in 2005, South Dakota Governor, Mike Rounds announced that parents can be convicted if they host parties which encouraged underage drinking. They have implemented the law that providing alcohol to a minor is a Class A misdemeanor with serious legal consequences.

Some states like Colorado, Florida, and Virginia have already passed laws which indicate that the licenses of adults would be suspended for 90 days if they provide or help underage drinkers to get alcohol. As parents, it is their responsibility to take care of their children and give them proper guidance.

Responsibilities of the Parents for Underage Drinking

Parents often feel that giving permission to their teenagers to drink at home is safer as they can monitor the consumption. They also feel that if they are role models to their children in terms of moderate drinking, then their children will also follow this. But this is not the case at all times as in most of the cases teens drinking with their parents at home are prone to it outside the home as well. They also tend to consume more than those who do not drink with their parents.

Parents are Responsible for Underage Drinking at Home

According to the social host liability laws, parents are responsible for underage drinking in their home and they are liable if the teenager meets with an accident or causes an accident. They are also civilly liable as it can lead to a civil lawsuit if they allow their children under 21 to drink alcohol. Social host laws is state specific and is dependent on the state where the underage lives, but parents are financially responsible for their medical bills, property damage and pain and suffering if an accident is caused due to alcohol abuse by their underage child.

Therefore, parents should not encourage consumption of alcohol at home and should monitor them if they are getting into alcohol abuse and warn them about the consequences.

Better Social Norms can Help Control Alcohol Abuse in Youngsters?

Posted on May 26, 2011

There are various social norms which help in controlling underage alcohol abuse. It is indicative that parental norms have the most effective impact on them. Studies of various social norms like family, friends, schools, neighborhoods and religious/ethnic groups influence drinking among youngsters.

Social Norms Helping to Control Underage Drinking

It is a pervasive problem to control alcohol abuse among adolescents and avoid underage drinking. Though the percentage of youngsters drinking alcohol has reduced considerably, the number is still dangerously high. Statistics indicate that forty percent of adolescents drink by 8th grade, and 55 percent drink at least once by 12th grade.

Parenting styles can also influence them and the way they interact with them can also control alcohol abuse and drunk driving. Parents are of three different types:

Authoritarian parents control their children and discipline them without much warmth. This results in alcohol abuse without the knowledge of their parents.
Permissive parents control and discipline them with warmth. This results in children discussing with their parents and avoiding alcohol abuse.
Neglectful parents do not bother about the activities of their children

How Parents can help in Controlling Alcohol Abuse?

There are various ways in which parents can help in avoiding alcohol abuse by their children:

Talk to them early and frequently about the effects of alcohol abuse. Youngsters, who are aware of the views of their parents about underage drinking, avoid it as they know the expectations of their parents.
They should establish policies as early as possible and be consistent in reinforcing rules and expectations in your teenager. They should discuss with them and ensure that valid message about the ill-effects of alcohol abuse is passed to their children.
They should monitor the activities of their child as well as their child’s friends
They should discuss the DWI laws of the state and underage drinking and driving
They should not serve alcohol to anybody’s child.

Evidence indicates that alcohol use and binge drinking by parents have adverse effect on youngsters and can lead them to adopt it at a later stage of their life. It is the responsibility of the parents to avoid or delay the onset of drinking among them for as long as possible.

Alcohol Abuse, Underage DrinkingNo Comments »Alcohol Abuse Parental Guidance Underage Drinking

Underage Drinking – What Schools & Colleges can do?

Posted on Feb 28, 2011

Underage drinking is a serious problem in both high school and colleges. The prevalence of alcoholic beverages of American teenagers has been slowly increasing in recent years and underage drinking is becoming a part of their weekend ritual. High schools and colleges can play an active role in ensuring the safety of these kids on and off campus by doing the following:

They can notify parents when their underage children are found guilty of alcohol violations.
Send letters home to parents about what is expected of students on school grounds.
Get parents involved by telling them to talk to their children about underage drinking and its dangers.
Talking to students about the risks involved in consuming alcohol and drugs.
Tell students to be more open with parents about alcohol-related issues.
Provide alcohol-education classes for parents and students.
Encourage responsible drinking habits.
Students should be suspended from school. But before suspension, they should be given a warning and a second chance to straighten up their act.
Have speakers visit the school to talk to students about the dangers of alcohol.
Take students on a ride along with police officers to visit sites where alcohol-related fatalities occurred.
Have signs and posters on campus with information about the risks and dangers of underage drinking.
Have strict rules and laws in place for anyone caught drinking.

Alcohol Abuse and Students

Some students are more likely to abuse alcohol than others. The prevalence of underage drinking is widespread. Reports show that approximately 20% of 11th graders consume alcohol on a monthly basis and the percentage is much higher for college students. There are serious health risks involved with consuming alcohol at a young age. Underage drinking puts teens and young adults at risk both for developing many social and health problems in the present and the future.

Sending Notification to Parents

Underage drinking is a serious problem. But what can schools and colleges do to deter students from drinking alcohol? Most students will not be pleased about schools notifying their parents about their drinking problems, but it is one way to discourage kids from drinking at a young age. Most kids in college however, feel that they are adults, away from home and can do whatever they want, and the schools should not interfere.

What’s your opinion?

Alcohol Abuse, Underage Drinking1 Comment »Alcohol Abuse Underage Drinking