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Adults Are Most Common Source of Alcohol for Teens

August 9, 2005
A poll of teens aged 13 through 18 released by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that nearly half reported having obtained alcohol at some point. In all age groups, girls nearly always ranked higher than boys in obtaining alcohol.

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Two out of three teens said it is easy to get alcohol from their homes without parents knowing about it. One third responded that it is easy to obtain alcohol from their own parents knowingly, which increases to 40 percent when it is from a friend's parent. And one in four teens have attended a party where minors were drinking in front of parents.

"From a public health standpoint, these findings are frankly disturbing," said J. Edward Hill, M.D., president of the AMA. "While it is of great concern to see how easily teens, especially young girls, get alcohol, it is alarming to know that legal-age adults, even parents, are supplying the alcohol."

In a separate survey of adults, about one out of four U.S. parents with children, aged 12 through 20 (26 percent), agree that teens should be able to drink at home with their parents present.

"Policies and law enforcement efforts to stop minors from obtaining alcohol are important, but this data reveals how easily avoided those policies and laws can be when legal-aged buyers are the leading source of alcohol for children," said Hill. "And even parents who do not buy for their children could be unwitting sources if their alcohol at home is left unsecured."

"Parents allowing underage children to drink under their supervision are under a dangerous misperception," said Hill. "Injuries and car accidents after such parent-hosted parties remind us that no parent can completely control the actions of intoxicated youth, during or after a party. And the main message children hear is that drinking illegally is okay."

Other key findings of the two polls include:

• Nearly one in four teens, aged 13-18, and one in three girls, aged 16-18, say their own parents have supplied them with alcohol, and teens who have obtained alcohol reported that, in the past six months, parents were the suppliers three times on average.

• While 71 percent of parents with children, aged 12-20, disagreed with the statement that teen drinking was okay if a parent were present, 76 percent think it is likely that teenagers get alcohol from someone's parent

• and they knew about it.

• One out of four parents of children, aged 12-20 (25 percent), say they have allowed their teens to drink with their supervision in the past six months. Approximately one in 12 (8 percent) indicated they have allowed their teen's friends to also drink under their supervision in the past six months.

• While only eight percent of parents of children aged 12-20 indicated that they allowed their teen and his/her friends to drink with supervision in the past six months, 21 percent of teens attended a party where the alcohol was provided by someone else's parents. And 27 percent of teens attended a party where youth were drinking with parents present. This discrepancy suggests parents are unaware that other parents are allowing their own children to drink.

"The AMA applauds parents who discourage and disallow underage drinking," said Hill. "We hope that such parents willing to stand up for their children's health will be more vocal in their communities, letting children and other parents know that no adult should substitute their judgment for a teen's own parents. Drinking is not a rite of passage. Fatal car accidents, injuries and assaults, and irreversible damage to the brain are not rites of passage for any child."

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, underage drinking is a leading cause of death among youth, including car accidents and fatal injuries. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also found that alcohol is linked to two-thirds of all sexual assaults and date rapes of teens and increases the likelihood of contracting HIV or sexually transmitted diseases.

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