The survey, conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, found that more than half (51 percent) of 17 year olds have seen one or both parents drunk. About one-third (34 percent) of 12 to 17 year olds have seen one or both parents drunk.
The survey also found that five percent of 12- to 15-year-old girls and nine percent of 12- to 15-year-old boys say their fathers are okay with their drinking. In the 16- to 17-year-old age group, 13 percent of girls and 20 percent of boys reported the same parental attitudes.
Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA's chairman and founder and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, commented on the impact of parental attitudes on teen substance use:
"Some moms' and dads' behavior and attitudes make them parent enablers -- parents who send their 12 to 17 year olds a message that it's okay to smoke, drink, get drunk and use illegal drugs like marijuana. A teens' behavior is strongly associated with their parents' behavior and expectations, so parents who expect their children to drink and use drugs will have children who drink and use drugs."
(Source: PRNewswire.com)
Labels: teen substance abuse, parental drinking
Posted By: Aspen Education Group