authors: Julia Osório and Laura Simon
From a very young age, kids are exposed to advertisements idealizing the consumption of alcohol. Because many parents and other adults drink socially, alcohol seems harmless to many teenagers.
Research has consistently shown that indirect parental influences are associated with increased alcohol consumption and binging among teenagers. As levels of parental restrictiveness regarding alcohol increased, teen alcohol use decreased and was less likely to occur.
Even without providing alcohol to their child, parents can play a role by setting many different environmental contexts that lead to drinking. Research from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse has already proven that environmental factors, such as the influence of parents and friends, can also cause children to innocently awake interest in alcohol. For example, parents who drink more and who view alcohol favorably may influence their children to drink more. The increased presence of alcohol around teenagers can cause them to perceive the benefits of alcohol to be more likely than the risks, and therefore lead them to consumption.
However, imposing extremely strict rules and punishments related to teenage alcohol use causes stress and rebellion in teenagers that do not always understand their parent’s protective measures, so be careful. Alcohol could still be provided outside the house without the parents’ supervision. Therefore, parents have to be very aware of the places that their teenagers attend socially, and explain the risks of drinking rather than imposing harsh measures.
According to the specialist Ronaldo Laranjeira the solution is “Inside the house, there must be a pattern of behavior based on what the parents believe. Outside the home, they have to look for a type of environment that their children can attend and they must not tolerate uncontrolled alcohol consumption in these places.”
In conclusion, many teenagers can have the idea that alcohol is harmless, as it is used in adults’ social lives. Adolescents are also extremely influenced by parental views on the substance since, on one hand, excessive exposure to the substance can lead kids to it, but on the other hand, imposing strict rules upon it can also lead to rebellion and curiosities. Therefore parents should have their children be well aware of the risks imposed with drinking, as well as pay close attention to where their teens attend socially.
Sources:
https://familydoctor.org/teens-and-alcohol/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iKo3PNrSuD5U7uLsZTVvwFdHXiCOMiNpAJuHzoKscjw/edit?usp=sharing
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