Andrea (http://imcalloway.wordpress.com/)'s latest post "sorry kids…make your own dinner…mommy’s drunk" got me thinking a little. I decided to expand on that with...statistics! and my own opinions, of course.
I want to address the issue of underage drinking and how it can become an issue of alcoholism later in life. I read today that teens who start drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely and teens who started drinking before 21 are twice as likely to become alcoholics as adults than someone who does not start drinking until the age of 21 (the legal drinking age in the States). One quarter of all of the alcohol consumed in the US is consumed by people under the legal age. In the States 31.5% of high school students admit to binge drinking at least once a month.
On the other hand, becoming an alcoholic as an adult is not the only concern associated with underage drinking. Teens who are heavy drinkers are 12 times more likely to use illegal drugs than teens who do not drink. Teens who drink are five times more likely to drop out of school. Alcohol is the number one abused substance by teens and is the number one partial cause of date rape, sexual harassment, racial fights, drop outs and overdose deaths.
Not to mention the sex! Teens who drink are seven times more likely to have sex and twice as likely to have sex with four or more partners during their teen years than teens who do not drink. Of course this leads to increased STDs and pregnancy in teens who drink.
Why is this happening? For one, many parents don't stop it. They see drinking as a "right of passage", something that they did when they were that age. In many cases the parents themselves drink and/or are alcoholics. It is also glorified in the media. A study of 81 G-rated movies showed that 34% of them related alcohol with wealth and 19% related it to sexual activity. G-rated! These are the movies your kids are watching! Also, how many beer/vodka/rum/wine commercials do you see everyday? A lot, and not just at night, you'll see them during the day, during the news and whenever else your TV is on.
Something needs to be done about this. Something more than cheesy commercials and videos shown in health class. I actually had to do some research to find these stats, how many teen drinkers do you think are doing that? Liquor needs to be less available to them. There isn't much you can do about friends buying alcohol for underage friends, but the liquor and beer stores could help. I personally have been in stores and bars and not been ID'd, and I look about 15 even though I am 19. These facilities need to be more responsible and follow the law, ID'ing anyone who looks to be under 25.
These stats that I quoted are rising every year and it is something that needs to be taken care of. I've personally seen the damage that alcohol does to a family. Did you know that 43% of families have an alcoholic in them? This may not be a parent, it could be an uncle or a grandparent, but it's still there. Teens who are drinking often underage need to be aware that this is the path they are laying for themselves.
Adult alcoholics are selfish people who damage and scar their families and the people around them. They would rather buy booze than pay the rent and put food on the table. The will stay up late fighting and then complain when the kids don't get good marks in school. They will call their daughter a "stupid cunt" and effectively lower her self esteem. They will expect everyone to cater to their needs when they are too drunk to get up and do things for themselves. They will break things and then accuse someone else of doing it. They will almost set the house on fire by falling asleep with a cigarette or with the stove left on.
Most importantly, they will wake up in the morning and not remember any of it.
