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Teaching children about alcohol
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Powerful lessons learned through modeling behavior
Extensive research compiled and reported by the US Department of Health and Human Services shows us that children who grow up to drink responsibly are taught to do so from an early age. As children get older avoiding alcohol becomes a major challenge and the statistics show that many children are losing the battle. By the time children reach college age, 83% have already tried alcohol and nearly 72% of them have been intoxicated.
While the causes are alcoholism are a complicated mix of nature and nurture, educating children about the risks of alcohol is critically important and lessons in simple abstinence do not appear to be effective. In fact, according to Dr. David Hanson at the State University of New York, responsible drinking with parents seems to be a positive influence on children when making decisions relating to alcohol use.
Those societies and cultural groups with very high rates of drinking but very low rates of alcohol-related problems have certain common keys to success. One such protective key is that in such groups young people learn about moderate drinking from their parents and they do so from an early age.
Key concerns about alcohol use involve:
- injury and fatality caused by driving under the influence
- sexual or physical assault where alcohol was a factor
- fatalities related to alcohol poisoning
- under aged alcohol use
Recently, the subject of the efficacy of the drinking age was discussed again at a conference of 135 college presidents and chancellors from across the United States supporting a project called the Amethyst Initiative. The Amethyst Initiative was established in 2008 to promote discussion about establishing a healthy approach to alcohol use with a focus on college campuses and revising current policy on underage drinking.Virginia universities participating in this initiative include Virginia Tech, Washington and Lee University, Randolph-Macon College, Hollins University, and Hampden-Sydney College.
One of the problems Americans seem to face is the connection the culture tends to make between maturity and drinking. American children are taught, directly and indirectly, that drinking is something they can do to have the appearance of maturity. In addition, through a history of prohibition, alcohol has gained a reputation as a powerful substance.
The best education for alcohol use:
- comes from parents who model responsible use and provide relevant information about use
- identifies alcohol as a neutral substance on a parallel to other beverages
- explains the risks associate with alcohol use
- identifies guidelines and social skills necessary for drinking responsibly, including topics such as how to refuse a drink and when not to drink
As with most things, parents who set the best example have the best results. Children will tend to seek peers who have similar belief systems and identifying those beliefs at home helps shape this process.
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