PARENTS

A nationwide report from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that adults over the age of 21, including a substantial number of parents and guardians, are contributing to the underage drinking phenomena by supplying alcohol to young people.

The report, Underage Alcohol Use: Findings from the 2002-2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, states that more than 40 % of youth ages 12-20 who used alcohol in the past 30 days reported receiving free alcohol from an adult. One in 16 underage drinkers or an estimate of 650,000 youths has received alcohol from a parent or guardian in the past month.

Parents and other adults can play an important role in helping influence, for better or for worse, young people’s behavior with regards to underage drinking.

Binge drinking rates are significantly higher for young people living with a parent who engaged in binge drinking in the past year.  A total of 30.3 % of underage drinkers reported that they were in their own home when they had their last drink, while 53.4 % were at someone else’s home, and comparatively few were at a restaurant, bar or club.