Sponsored by the Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention Collaborative
Parents play a major role in their children’s choices about alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. In a recent national survey of parents and teens by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, one-third of teen partygoers have been to parties where teens were drinking alcohol, smoking pot, or using cocaine, ecstasy or prescription drugs while a parent was present. By age 17, nearly half (46 percent) of teens have been at such parties where parents were present.
At the local level, 2006 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use survey findings indicate 41% of Aroostook County youth are at risk for substance abuse because of perceived availability of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. 37% of underage youth who participated in a survey conducted by ASAP reported they gained access to alcohol through an individual over 21 while 43% said they usually consumed alcohol at another person’s home. Additionally, individuals interviewed as part of the 2007 ASAP Countywide Comprehensive Assessment of substance abuse reported that parents host underage drinking parties for youth.
What’s the big deal about hosting underage drinking parties for youth – isn’t it safer to host a party and take the keys than for youth to drink unsupervised? The answer to this question is no. Only 1/3 of underage drinking deaths involve auto crashes. The remaining 2/3 involve alcohol poisoning, homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries such as burns, drownings and falls. Taking away the car keys doesn’t make underage drinking safe. In fact, tragic accidents in our own county have occurred after well meaning adults supplied alcohol to minors.
Underage drinking is unsafe and unhealthy. Scientific research clearly shows that alcohol impacts a teenager differently than an adult because the adolescent brain is still developing—especially the part of the brain that deals with decision-making. Drinking before the age of 21 places kids at higher risk for academic failure, depression, suicide, and sexual assault. It also increases their risk for alcohol dependence: Young people who begin drinking before age 17 are twice as likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21. Those who begin by age 15 are more than four times more likely to develop dependence.
So what can I do? This Spring ASAP and its County partners are joining together to prevent underage drinking through the Parents Who Host Lost the Most Campaign. It is essential for the safety of County teens that community members join together as well to express disapproval of underage drinking. Some things you can do are:
• Refuse to supply alcohol to anyone under 21;
• Be at home when your teen has a party;
• Contact local police to monitor your home if you plan to leave your teen alone overnight;
• Ensure alcohol is not brought into your home/property by your teen’s friends;
• Talk to other parents about not supplying alcohol;
• Create alcohol-free opportunities/activities in your home with help from your teen; and/or
• Report violations or parties to state or local police by calling: 1-800-924-2261.
Resource: A resource for planning events can be found at http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/alcohol/PartiesRock/index.html
The article was brought to you by Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention. For more information about ASAP and its prevention efforts contact Clare Desrosiers, project director at 521-2408.
