ABUSE Magazine
Photo Source: www.positive-choice.org
• 83% of youth report
parents are the
leading influence in
their decision to not
to drink alcohol.
(Source: The Century Council, February 2012)
Where Youth Get Alcohol.
Family and friends are the leading source
of alcohol for today’s youth. When 10-18
year olds were asked the question, “How
do you and your friends get the alcohol you
drink?” a majority (65%) of today’s youth
who have consumed alcohol in the past year
report family and friends as the leading
source from which they get alcohol.
• Youth report contributing family and
friend sources include older siblings
or friends, parents allow me to have
it, and taking it from my home or a
friend’s home without permission.
Overall, kids and parents alike identify
the same sources of alcohol for today’s
youth. In a separate study, parents with
children ages 18 and younger were also
asked, “How do you think today’s youth get
the alcohol they drink?” A majority (53%)
of parents cited family and friends as the
leading source of alcohol for today’s youth.
Recent government studies among the
nation’s youth have also confirmed parents
as one of the leading sources of alcohol.
According to the 2009 National Survey
on Drug Use and Health, the majority of
underage drinkers (ages 12-20), 58%, report
getting their alcohol from adults such as
parents, guardians, other family members
or unrelated adults. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control’s 2009 Youth Risk
Behavior Survey reported that 42% of 9th12th graders who reported past-month consumption said that they usually obtained
the alcohol they drank by someone giving
it to them.
Influence of Parents
Despite being identified by youth as one
of their primary sources of alcohol, hands
down, parents are the most influential
person or thing in a child’s decision not to
drink at all or not to drink on occasion.
Regardless of the
source of alcohol,
youth report access
to alcohol is easy.
According to the current Monitoring the
Future Study shows
89% of 12th graders,
78% of 10th graders,
and 59% of 8th graders getting alcohol
would be “fairly easy” or “very easy” for
them to get alcohol. On a positive note,
reported ease of obtaining alcohol continues to decline among teens reaching
historic low levels among all three grade
levels.
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Talking about Underage Drinking
Parents and kids are talking more than
ever about the dangers and consequences
of underage drinking. Nearly half of parents
(46%) report they have spoken with their
10-18 year old son or daughter four or more
times in the past year about the dangers of
underage drinking and a near equal number
(42%) of youth ages 10 to 18 reported they
that spoke as frequently with their parents,
grandparents, or another adult caregiver
about the dangers of alcohol in the past 12
months.
Even better news is that kids are listening more than ever to their parents
when they talk about underage drinking
and are recalling their conversations. Only
one-quarter of 10-18 years reported having
conversations four or more times in the last
year with their parents compared to 49%
of parents who reported speaking to their
sons and daughters four or more times in
the past year about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking. This represents a 62% increase proportionally in
the number of youth who report discussing
the dangers of underage drinking with their
parents.
Unfortunately, it often takes a tragedy
in the news to get the conversation about
underage drinking started between parents
and their children (54% and 47%, respectively). Other top conversation starters
include something seen on TV or a movie
(49%; 41%) and someone else getting caught
with alcohol or drinking (37%; 3