Posted on 04/29/2011 8:53:38 PM PDT by TheDingoAteMyBaby
Parents who let their kids drink when supervised – because they think it's safer than an outright ban on underage drinking – may want to rethink their approach due to a new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Co-authored by University of Washington professor Richard Catalano, the study (PDF) found that teens who drank with adult supervision had more drinking-related problems than teens raised with a zero-tolerance attitude.
"Kids need parents to be parents and not drinking buddies," Barbara McMorris, the study's lead researcher, said in a statement. McMorris is a senior research associate at the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota.
"Adults need to be clear about what messages they are sending."
Researchers looked at 1,945 adolescents in Washington state and Australia and compared two approaches to underage drinking: Zero-tolerance attitudes and "harm minimization."
Harm minimization is the view that alcohol is a normal part of growing up, and youths, if they drink, should be encouraged to drink responsibly in supervised settings. Advocates think such alcohol use can ward off later problems like binge drinking and DUIs.
The Washington kids reflected America's general zero-tolerance attitude, which includes the under-21 drinking ban. The other group represented Australia's more relaxed view, in which more parents let their kids drink with them than do American parents, researchers said.
The study found that the Australian youths reported more drinking, more drinking around adults, and more drinking that led to fights, blackouts, regrettable sex and addiction than did the Washington youths.
"Findings challenge the harm-minimization position that supervised alcohol use or early-age alcohol use will reduce the development of adolescent alcohol problems," the study said.
Read the study here.
I'm not sure that parental drinking buddies really fit in either category.
My first response is “nonsense.” You can’t compare American and Aussie kids without somehow controling for cultural differences, not to mention differences in family background. We’re one of those families who have always allowed our daughter to have a drink; a small glass of beer or wine, usually around dinner time.
That’s also the way I was raised.
“teens who drank with adult supervision had more drinking-related problems than teens raised with a zero-tolerance attitude.”
Well, well, well, well, well....what have we here?
The big I Told You So?
Perhaps someone will next do a study proving that parents “permitting” screwing by begging little darlings to use condoms “IF you’re going to do it” - instead of saying it’s just wrong - have created more sexual anti-social misfits, along with the illegitimate children that usually entails.
What a bunch of garbage.
Feds want control and the states want money. And here is a study that provides both.
Makes one want to become french just to avoid the mendacity.
I’m not sure they specify, but there ARE parents who let kids have “parties” (i.e., drunkeness orgies) if they are themselves there. That is wrong.
What you suggest is not necessarily all they mean by “supervised”. “Buddies” implies they’re supervising a bunch of kids and “being 1 of them” kids instead of the other way around.
It never made sense to me to ever pull back on the line in the sand with my sons. They were bad enough!
I don’t get the parents to confess their own messes of youth to their kids either! That just moves the line in the sand! As far as my kids know, I was next to the virgin Mary in my sacred youth. LOL
An 18 year old can fight for his country, but he can’t have a beer when he’s home on leave? INSANE!!! Stupid states caved in to that raised drinking age to keep from losing their friggin’ highway money. I’d rather see an 18 year old have a glass of wine than try to elect a President, anyway!;)
People need alcohol to get happy and remain that way for hours.
I noticed with my baby daughter that when I used to make her laugh for too long, she would later have a long cry, to even out. So I learned to be happy with her for shorter times and then we sit staring at each other till she starts smiling again.
No doubt the same parents who let their children have co-ed sleepovers.
What did you find to be the truth regarding the supposed tolerance for alcohol in those countries?
How much tax dollars went into this “study”?
If this study had used Belgium as the control group instead of Australia the results would have been 180 degrees different.
The goal seeking bias of picking Australia is ridiculous.
We would never allow a party like that. We have had dinner guests who also allowed their kid to have a glass of wine with dinner at our table.
China & Taiwan: no real drinking age. Once ate with friends at Ruth’s Chris in Taipei. 12 and 14 year olds each ordered a gin & tonic, just to give it a try.
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