Where do they get alcohol?

Where Do They Get The Alcohol?

By Ned Wicker

There have been so many reports about alcoholism; the causes, the preventions, the effects, the treatments, and so many reports on societal issues, such as DI and the criminal justice system.

The research about the onset of alcoholism suggest that a child who starts drinking in his/her early teens is much more likely to develop into an alcoholic than a person who waits until 21, the legal drinking age, to try it for the first time. But we all know that there are a lot of kids who drink, and drink regularly. But if children are not allowed to drink legally, where do they get the alcohol?

Recently the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University resented its 13th annual “back-to-school survey,” which identifies factors and influences in teen substance abuse. The survey deals with drug use and also alcohol use, surveying kids 12-17 years-old (503 boys and 499 girls). The report centered on four failures of problem parents. They do not monitor where their children are on school nights (Monday-Thursday). They do not safeguard prescriptions medications. They do not address the problem of drugs in the schools. They do not set good examples.

Let’s take a look at this in greater detail. The report said that 46 percent of the kids surveyed (ages 12-17) said they leave the house on school nights. But only 14 percent of parents said their kids go out. That’s a huge disparity. Moreover, half of the kids who stay out until 10:00 or after say that alcohol, marijuana or other drugs are being used by the kids they are with. If the teens are home between 8:00 and 10:00, the percentage drops to 29 percent. Of course, the parents, if confronted about this situation, will say they are concerned. When I was in my 20’s I recall talking to a police detective about kids who were vandalizing property around my apartment complex. The detective told me that he catches the kids, calls their parents who told him, “When he’s out of the house, he’s not our problem.” In responding to my question as to what I could do, he replied, “Don’t leave any marks.” That was his way of telling me that law enforcement was doing it’s part, but the real problem area was the parents.

Parents do not always have a realistic picture of what is under their nose. A third of the parents surveyed said that the presence of drugs in the schools where their children attend has no impact on whether or not their child has tried drugs. Their child would never do drugs; it’s always the other children. Worse yet is the inattention paid to prescription medications, especially pain killers. One-third of the kids said they knew a kid who was abusing prescription drugs found right in the medicine cabinet of their home. Another third of the kids say they can get prescription drugs from classmates. It’s like parents are replacing pushers. The same holds true with alcohol in the home. How many parents actually lock the liquor cabinet?

Shocking is the fact that the report says a quarter of the teens surveyed know of a parent that smokes marijuana with their kids. My friend said that many parents do not consider marijuana use a problem, even for their teenage children. Some parents will tell their children that if they are going to drink, they would prefer that they drink at home. Every report about drug use at an early age leading to drug addiction later would squash such idiotic thinking. The earlier a child starts to drink, the more chance for problems. Of course, if there were a public forum discussing drugs and alcohol in our schools, all of the problem parents would be first in line to criticize and demand that our schools be drug and alcohol free.

The report was very detailed in its findings. If you ‘re a parent, I encourage you to read the entire study. Don’t be a problem parent. Be a part of the solution.

(If you want to read the entire report, you will find it at http://casacolumbia.org. )

Ned Wicker is Addictions Chaplain at Waukesha Memorial Hospital Lawrence Center

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