We all know that kids are influenced by what they see. The old “do what I say, not what I do” doesn’t work. A study came out recently that looked at the influence of a parent’s drug and/or alcohol use and their children’s drug and/or alcohol use.
Compared to teens who have not seen their parent(s) drunk, those who have are more than twice as likely to get drunk in a typical month, and three times likelier to use marijuana and smoke cigarettes, according to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents, the 14th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.
“Some Moms’ and Dads’ behavior and attitudes make them parent enablers—parents who send their 12- to 17-year olds a message that it’s okay to smoke, drink, get drunk and use illegal drugs like marijuana,” said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA’s chairman and founder and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. “Teens’ behavior is strongly associated with their parents’ behavior and expectations, so parents who expect their children to drink and use drugs will have children who drink and use drugs.”
For more on the study check out this link or download a free copy of the study with this link.
Besides influencing our kids, remember that a regular 12 oz beer is at least 140 calories and an 8 oz glass of wine is at least 160 calories. And who needs the extra calories??
