Teenage Drinking

Dr. Roger McIntire

Third in the series about childhood disasters.

Another surprise is that most parents have discussed the serious effects of alcohol very little. Usually alcohol and driving gets some cautions from parents, but liver disease, stomach ulcers, impaired physical performance and addiction are seldom mentioned.

Almost one quarter of our teens are alcohol abusers by the time they leave high school. And alcohol-related accidents remain one of the biggest killers of sons and daughters until they pass college age.

When it comes to dangerous behaviors, drugs often produce the most tragic stories, but in terms of number of abusers, alcohol wins. Alcohol abusers are persons whose drinking habits produce poor work, excessive absenteeism from work or school, and complaints from friends and family.

While teens make up only 6.9 percent of the driving population, they account for 13 percent of the alcohol-related fatal crashes. This year, expect at least 17,000 deaths nationwide due to drunk driving - 20 times the war fatalities. About 350 will be from West Virginia and 40 of those will be our teenagers.

Often a parent first discovers a teenage drinking problem on the morning after:

"Tyler, you look terrible this morning. Are you sick?"

"My stomach doesn't fell good."

"What did you have at Cory's last night?"

"Ah, just the same old snacks."

"Tyler, you must have had something different."

It will probably turn out that Tyler was tempted by a few beers for short-term fun and now he has the day-after long-term misery.

Looking beyond the short- to the long-term consequences is one measure of growing up. Even parents can have trouble looking ahead to drinking problems:

"Let him have a little beer, what harm can it do?"

"As long as it's in the house and nobody is going to drive, I guess it's OK."

Drinking habits often produce strange excuses: "I couldn't help it, I was drunk" is a common teenage misunderstanding of responsibility.

But drinking and driving remains the most dangerous part. All parents dread that terrible phone call in the middle of the night: "This is Officer Jones of the West Virginia State Police, your son has been..."

What can parents do? Present a good model. The majority of teenage alcohol abusers learned their attitude from their parents. Be careful with the messages you send. For example, don't send the message that alcohol is good for relaxing: "I've had a tough day, I need a drink." And don't send the message that behavior under the influence is somehow more genuine, natural, or free because it's more emotional and less thoughtful.

Inhibitions are learned from good reasons, and thoughtfulness is a precious human quality. Myths that alcohol won't hurt you, that it improves your social skills, or clears your mind are some of the common misleading adult remarks that lead teens in the wrong direction.

There's no guarantee your children will imitate your good habits, so stay informed, on every occasion, about what's going on at their parties and how your son or daughter is going to get home. Disallow all social events with alcohol. And support and respect the laws concerning drinking and driving and the officers who enforce them – the next car they stop a drunk driver just in time, one of yours may be inside.

Dr. McIntire is the author of Teenagers and Parents: 10 Steps to a Better Relationship and Raising Good Kids in Tough Times. Write him through the CCBS or go to www.ParentSuccess.com.

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