You, your child and alcohol
Children are influenced by many different factors – their friends, their teachers, TV, films, the media etc. However, in most cases, parents have the biggest influence on their children’s behaviour and this includes how the children approach alcohol.
What the research shows
Several scientific and social studies have found that children of parents who set a positive example and take an active approach towards the subject of alcohol are more likely to develop a sensible attitude towards it*. That means that parents need to address the issue with their children, discussing the issues and perhaps agreeing some rules that the family will stick to.
For example, an investigation into substance abuse among young people found that parental monitoring – i.e. parents knowing where their children are, who they are with and when they are coming home results in them being far less likely to begin using drugs.**
Another report reached a similar conclusion, and also found that in 30 out of 31 countries surveyed young people consumed significantly more alcohol when their parents did not know how they spent Saturday nights.***
However, a study in 2009 regarding 15 and 16 year olds found that parents who took a censorial approach to alcohol, led to their teenagers drinking in riskier circumstances outside of the home, encountering more violence and taking more risks, so parental supervision, open dialogue and knowing where your kids are is key.****
The resources on this site will help you to communicate with your child about alcohol and make the most of the influence over them that you have.
* The turning tides of intoxication: young people’s drinking in Britain in the 2000s
Fiona Measham Lancaster University, Lancaster, and Mann, A. (2003). Relationships matter: Impact of parental, peer factors on teen, young adult substance use. NIDA Notes, 18(2), August 2003.
**Clark D. B., Thatcher D. L. and Maisto S. A. ‘Supervisory neglect and adolescent alcohol use disorders: Effects on AUD onset and treatment outcome’, Addictive Behaviours, 2005, vol. 30, n° 9, p. 1737–1750.
*** The ESPAD Report 2007 visit www.espad.org
****Teenage drinking, alcohol availability and pricing: a cross sectional study of risk and protective factors for alcohol-related harms in school children Bellis M et al BMC Public Health 2009, 9:380 doi:10.1186/1471-2458-9-380
