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Underage Drinking

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Underage Drinking

Introduction Underage drinking has long been, and continues to be, a serious public health concern. “Teen alcohol use kills more than 4700 people each year and high school students who use alcohol or other drugs are five times more likely to drop out of school” (MADD, 2014) than kids who do not. There have been years of underage drinking prevention programs to curtail the use of alcohol by those under 21 years of age and yet alcohol is the most widely used drug by adolescents in the United States (Wagoner et al. 2012). Underage drinking is a real problem in all 50 states, even though there are laws in place to prohibit anyone under 21 years of age from drinking alcohol. Parental involvement might be the missing link to decrease underage drinking for good.
Statement of the Problem
This study proposes that if parents are involved in prevention and intervention programs too, underage drinking will significantly decrease, in addition, age of onset will increase and more adolescents and young adults will abstain from alcohol use until legal age. Access to alcohol for underage drinkers comes from various sources. Many students are aware of local stores that sell alcohol to underage customers, know people who will purchase alcohol for them, and many utilize fake identification cards to purchase alcohol (Phipps, 2013). Surprisingly and sadly, a large provider of alcohol to underage partakers are parents themselves. When individuals become parents, there is an unspoken responsibility to protect their children at any cost; doing whatever is necessary. Yet, these parents are giving their children their first taste of alcohol, which has been linked to ongoing alcohol addiction in some studies. These parents have different ‘reasons’ for providing alcohol to their underage children. Some say they only provide alcohol on special occasions – while on vacation or holidays – so it is okay, there is a fear of damaging relationships with their children if they don’t, there is a belief they are teaching responsible drinking in a safe environment, and some parents admit feeling pressure from other parents to allow underage alcohol consumption. The majority of parents, even those who allow their young children to drink alcohol, report they do not condone underage drinking (Freese, et al. 2012).
The goal of this research is to get parents, whether they personally consume alcohol or not, regardless of how they might personally feel about alcohol, to accept and subscribe to the importance of underage children abstaining from alcohol consumption. This study will not be successful without parents and their direction, support and commitment to assist their children in remaining abstinent from alcohol use until legal age.
“Parents, clergy, coaches, teachers, and other role models must do everything they can to influence young people positively – including talking with them early and often about the many health dangers underage drinking poses to their physical and emotional health and well-being” (Anonymous, 2011).
To be successful in this endeavor, it must be seen as a community effort, with parents taking the lead towards long-term change.
Literature Review An article by Jadranka Zimic and Vlado Jukic discusses the impact familial risk factors have on the age of onset of alcohol or drug addiction. These risk factors include absence of one or both parents in the home, the level of consumption of alcohol of the parents, and distant or unhealthy relationships with parents. The presence of trauma or abuse in the home is also a factor in the age at which some adolescents turn to alcohol or drugs. Obviously the more traumatic, the more alone a child feels at home, the greater the likelihood they will turn to alcohol or drugs to escape those things (2012). Another research article states that there are many factors contributing to how much underage drinkers consume. These factors include not only age, race, gender and how parents feel about alcohol consumption in general, but also on who provides the alcohol (suggesting students drink less if parents provide the beverages), whether they are drinking at home or elsewhere, whether drinking games are a part of the evening and who the social host is (Wagoner et al. 2012). Because of the growing issue of parents supplying alcohol to minors, 35 of 50 states currently have Social Host laws in effect. This means if an adult is supplying minors with alcohol in their home, they can be arrested and charged. These laws are an attempt to decrease the number of adults hosting underage parties and supplying alcohol to minors (Wagoner et al. 2012). In addition to social host laws, laws concerning restricted licenses for teens and limiting teen driving at night seem to have had an impact on underage drinking. Additionally, license suspension laws for alcohol violations are making kids think twice before they consume alcohol and drive (Hingson, 2014). Yet underage drinking remains a nationwide concern and must continue to be addressed.

Methodology
This study will use cluster sampling to get a good base of individuals and not just those from one area of a city or country. We will use five regions, Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Northwest and Southwest. We will contract with 30 parents in each region (150 total) who have children ages nine to nineteen, and are willing to actively participate in a longitudinal study. The purpose of the study will be explained to everyone in a question and answer meeting.
Those who choose to participate will be interviewed and responses will be recorded and logged. Releases of information will also be signed at this time, prior to starting the study. It will be made known to everyone that if at any time they want to cease their participation – they can. Each month an education piece will be conducted for the participating parents to include a lecture, role plays, Q & A, open group discussion, and one on one interviews with a researcher. After each monthly session is completed, a ten dollar gift card to a local grocer will be issued. Inferential statistics will be used to compare the data recorded from this study and previously recorded data. Ultimately, every year there will be new and current data to compare with the prior year’s data.
Conclusion
Some consider underage drinking a ‘rite of passage’ and say it is not hurtful at all. Some believe underage drinking contributes to an increase in high school drop outs and young people with addiction to alcohol. The truth of the matter is, underage drinking remains a significant problem in each of the 50 states, even with laws in every one punishing underage alcohol consumption. Parental involvement is what is missing. Educating parents to the risks, short-term damages and long term effects of early alcohol use may be what is needed to finally encourage adolescents and young adults to abstain from alcohol and not partake in underage drinking.

References

Anonymous (2011). Underage drinking reaches new highs. (2011, 12). USA Today, 140, 10. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/913405792?accountid=32521
Freese, B., Grube, J., Moore, R., & Jennings, V., (2012). Parents’ rules about underage drinking: a qualitative study of why parents let teens drink. J. Drug Education, Vol. 42(4) 379-391, 2012 retrieved February 8, 2015 from dre.sagepub.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu
Hingson, R. (2014) More research needed on underage drinking: NIAAA. (2014). Alcoholism &
Drug Abuse Weekly, 26(5), 4. Retrieved February 8, 2015 from http://search.proquest.com
MADD (2014). Underage drinking statistics. Retrieved February 8, 2015 from http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/underage-drinking-statistics.html
Phipps, M. (2013, Oct 15). Survey: Underage drinking a county-wide problem. McClatchy – Tribune Business News Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1441961832?accountid=32521
Wagoner, K., Francisco, V., Sparks, M., Wyrick, D., Nichols, T., & Wolfson, M., (2012) A review of social host polices focused on underage drinking parties: suggestions for future research. J Drug Education, Vol. 42(1) 99-117, 2012 retrieved February 8, 2015 from dre.sagepub.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu Zimić, J. I., & Jukić, V. (2012) Familial risk factors favoring drug addiction onset. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 44(2), 173-185 doi:10.1080/02791072.2012.685408 Retrieved February 7, 2015 from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/

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