As parents and children prepare for the start of another school year, it is important to remember that parents are the number one influence in the lives of youth.  Parents should make it clear to their kids that they expect them not to drink, and set clear expectations for fellow parents that their child not be at parties or events where alcohol is available.

In a previous article, we described the various surveys the Coalition uses to assess adolescent drug use and attitudes about drug use. Our last article included comments from a recent college grad who indicated that the foundation received at home has significant influence on future behavior. In this article we will look at the results from the recent Coalition survey of parents regarding underage alcohol use.

75% of parents felt underage drinking was a slightly big to extremely big problem in the community. The same percentage of parents also felt that it was easy for youth to get alcohol in the community. The majority of parents, 70%, indicated that they had talked to their child in the last 30 days about alcohol use. Only 6% indicated that they had never talked to their child about alcohol use.

More than 1/3 of parents indicated they had never talked with their child about attending parties where alcohol was available or being served to teens. However, 96% and 69% of parents would not let their child attend an un-chaperoned or chaperoned party, respectively, where alcohol was available.

With the start of a new school year, it is important to know the friends your child has and to know the friend’s parents. Make it clear to other parents you know that you do not want your child to attend parties or events where alcohol is available, and ask that the other parents pledge with you to provide a safe environment for youth.

The Parent Survey on Underage Alcohol Use can be found on the Coalition’s website at www.drugfreecincinnati.org/parentsurvey.html. The survey can be completed and submitted online making for ease of access and submission. The majority of the more than 250 responses, or completed surveys, were obtained by online submission.