Would you let your teenage son drink beer at his best friend’s
birthday party? Would you let your daughter attend a graduation party
where wine would be available to underage kids? What if a parent were
chaperoning these events?
Kids, parties, and alcohol are never a
good mix. However, in a poll by the American Medical Association, 1 in
10 parents said that it was okay for teens to attend prom or
graduation parties with alcohol if a parent were present.1
It may come as no surprise, then, that 20 percent of 16- to
18-year-olds reported that they have attended a graduation party with
underage drinking and parents present.2 And 15 percent of
these teens had been to a graduation party where the alcohol was
actually supplied by parents.3
Laws in many States call for
parents to be
prosecuted if minors drink alcohol in their homes. But some
parents still allow alcohol at their teens’ parties and, in many
cases, buy alcohol for the event. This group of parents is the
minority. Most parents do not allow their underage children to drink
and would not buy alcohol for their kids or allow it at a post-prom
party or graduation event.
During the busy prom and graduation season, your teen may be
invited to a party where alcohol will be available to minors. Try
taking these steps to keep your child alcohol free:
- Before the party, talk to the parents hosting the party and get
all the details. Where is it? What time does it start and end? Who’s
invited? What activities are planned? Will there be adult supervision
for teenage guests? What is the ratio of adult supervisors to teenage
guests? What can I do to help? You’re not being nosy! Think of it as
gathering information so that you can make an informed decision.
- Ask the parents hosting the party if alcohol will be served at the
event. If it’s a party with guests over and under age 21 and alcohol
will be present, ask about their plans to prevent minors from drinking
alcohol. If all of the guests will be under 21, ask about their plans
to make sure that no one brings alcohol to the party.
- Talk to your child
about what to do if he finds himself at a party where alcohol is
available to minors. Let him know that even if other teens are
drinking, you expect him not to. Tell him that he should call you
right away and you’ll come pick him up—no matter how late it is. You
may want to create a “code word” that your child can use if he wants
you to come get him. He may be calling you when he’s surrounded by
friends, and he may be unable to tell you what’s going on without a
code word.
During the busy prom and graduation season, you might have to make
difficult choices about what parties your kids attend. It can be hard
to tell your child “no” when she wants to go to the party that
“everyone” is going to. You may wonder if your rules are too tough.
It’s okay to be tough when it comes to protecting your kids from
underage drinking. Underage drinking is a key factor in the two
leading causes of teenage deaths: car accidents and fatal injuries.4
It also is linked to two-thirds of all sexual assaults and date rapes
of teens, and it increases the chance of contracting HIV or sexually
transmitted diseases.5 So, go ahead, be tough on underage
drinking, and be on the lookout for risky situations during
end-of-the-school-year parties.
Sources
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Family
Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy & Drug Free.
Effects of Alcohol,
last referenced 4/28/2006.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Family
Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy & Drug Free.
Alcohol Use by
Children, last referenced 4/28/2006.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Family
Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy & Drug Free.
Alert:
Teens and Underage Drinking, last referenced 4/28/2006.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s
Start Talking Before They Start Drinking, last referenced 4/28/2006.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s
Too Smart To Start, last referenced 4/28/2006.
For questions on regarding underage drinking or for those who need help, individuals can
contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at
1-800-662-HELP, or prevention Resource Centers located across the state
at 1-888-PRC-TEXX. More information about Preventing Underage Drinking
can be found at
http://family.samhsa.gov/teach/parties.aspx
