NIAAA

National Institutes

of Health

U.S. Department of

Health and Human

Services

National Institute

on Alcohol Abuse

and Alcoholism

Parenting to Prevent

Childhood Alcohol Use

Drinking alcohol undoubtedly is a part of American culture, as are

conversations between parents and children about its risks and potential

benefits. However, information about alcohol can seem contradictory.

Alcohol affects people differently at different stages of life—small amounts

may have health benefits for certain adults, but for children and adolescents,

alcohol can interfere with normal brain development. Alcohol’s differing

effects and parents’ changing role in their children’s lives as they mature

and seek greater independence can make talking about alcohol a challenge.

Parents may have trouble setting concrete family policies for alcohol use.

And they may find it difficult to communicate with children and adolescents

about alcohol­related issues.

Research shows, however, that teens and young

adults do believe their parents should have a say

in whether they drink alcohol. Parenting styles

are important—teens raised with a combination

of encouragement, warmth, and appropriate

discipline are more likely to respect their parents’

boundaries. Understanding parental influence

on children through conscious and unconscious

efforts, as well as when and how to talk with

children about alcohol, can help parents have

more influence than they might think on a

child’s alcohol use. Parents can play an important

role in helping their children develop healthy

attitudes toward drinking while minimizing

its risk.

Alcohol Use by Young People

Adolescent alcohol use remains a pervasive

problem. The percentage of teenagers who drink

alcohol is slowly declining; however, numbers

are still quite high. Forty percent of adolescents

report drinking by 8th grade, and 55 percent

report being drunk at least once by 12th grade

(Johnston et al., 2009).

Parenting Style

Accumulating evidence suggests that alcohol

use—and in particular binge drinking—may

have negative effects on adolescent development

and increase the risk for alcohol dependence
laterin life(Squeglia et al., 2009; Grant and Dawson,

1997). This underscores the need for parents

to help delay or prevent the onset of drinking

as long as possible. Parenting styles may influence whether their children follow their advice

regarding alcohol use. Every parent is unique,

but the ways in which each parent interacts with

his or her children can be broadly categorized

into four styles:

• Authoritarian parents typically exert high

control and discipline with low warmth and

responsiveness. For example, they respond to

bad grades with punishment but let good

grades go unnoticed.

• Permissive parents typically exert low control

and discipline with high warmth and responsiveness. For example, they deem any grades

at all acceptable and fail to correct behavior

that may lead to bad grades.

• Neglectful parents exert low control and

discipline as well as low warmth and responsiveness. For example, they show no interest

at all in a child’s school performance.

• Authoritative parents exert high control

and discipline along with high warmth and

responsiveness. For example, they offer praise

for good grades and use thoughtful discipline

and guidance to help improve low grades.

(Baumrind, 1978)

Regardless of the developmental outcome

examined—body image, academic success, or

substance abuse—children raised by authoritative

parents tend to fare better than their peers

(Jackson, 2002). This is certainly true when

it comes to the issue of underage drinking

(Simons­Morton et al., 2001), in part because

children raised by such parents learn approaches

to problem solving and emotional expression

that help protect against the psychological

dysfunction that often precedes alcohol misuse

(Patock­Peckham and Morgan­Lopez, 2007).

The combination of discipline and support

by authoritative parents promotes healthy

decisionmaking about alcohol and other potential threats to healthy development (Steinberg

et al., 1992).

Modeling

Some parents wonder whether allowing their

children to drink in the home will help them

develop an appropriate relationship with alcohol.

According to most studies this does not appear

to be the case. In a study of 6th, 7th, and 8th

graders, researchers observed that students

whose parents allowed them to drink at home

and/or provided them with alcohol experienced

the steepest escalation in drinking (Komro et al.,

2007). Other studies suggest that adolescents

who are allowed to drink at home drink more

heavily outside of the home (van der Vorst et al.,

2010). In contrast, adolescents are less likely to

drink heavily if they live in homes where parents

have specific rules against drinking at a young

age and also drink responsibly themselves (van

der Vorst et al., 2006). However, not all studies

suggest that parental provision of alcohol to

teens leads to trouble. For instance, one study

showed that drinking with a parent in the

proper context (such as a sip of alcohol at an

important family function) can be a protective

factor against excessive drinking (Foley et al.,

2004). In other contexts, parental provision of

alcohol serves as a direct risk factor for excessive

drinking, as is the case when parents provide

alcohol for parties attended or hosted by their

adolescents. Collectively, the literature suggests

that permissive attitudes toward adolescent

drinking, particularly when combined with

poor communication and unhealthy modeling,

can lead teens into unhealthy relationships

with alcohol.
Genetics

Regardless of what parents may

teach their children about alcohol,

some genetic factors are present

from birth and cannot be changed.

Genes appear to influence the

development of drinking behaviors

in several ways. Some people,

particularly those of Asian ancestry,

have a natural and unpleasant

response to alcohol that helps

prevent them from drinking too

much. Other people have a naturally high tolerance to alcohol, meaning that to

feel alcohol’s effects, they must drink more

than others. Some personality traits are genetic,

and those, like impulsivity, can put a person at

risk for problem drinking. Psychiatric problems

may be caused by genetic traits, and such problems can increase risk for alcohol abuse and

dependence. Finally, having a parent with a

drinking problem increases a child’s risk for

developing an alcohol problem of his or her

own (Schuckit, 2009).

Do Teens Listen?

Adolescents do listen to their parents when it

comes to issues such as drinking and smoking,

particularly if the messages are conveyed consistently and with authority (Jackson, 2002).

Research suggests that only 19 percent of teens

feel that parents should have a say in the music

they listen to, and 26 percent believe their parents should influence what clothing they wear.

However, the majority—around 80 percent—

feel that parents should have a say in whether

they drink alcohol. Those who do not think

that parents have authority over these issues

are four times more likely than other teens to

drink alcohol and three times more likely to

have plans to drink if they have not already

started (Jackson, 2002).

Whether teens defer to parents on the issue

of drinking is statistically linked to how parents

parent. Specifically, authoritative parents—

those who provide a healthy and consistent

balance of discipline and support—are the

most likely to have teenagers who respect the

boundaries they have established around drinking and other behaviors; whereas adolescents

exposed to permissive, authoritarian, or neglectful parenting are less influenced by what

their parents say about drinking (Jackson, 2002).

Research suggests that, regardless of parenting styles, adolescents who are aware that their

parents would be upset with them if they

drank are less likely to do so, highlighting the

importance of communication between parents

and teens as a protective measure against

underage alcohol use (Foley et al., 2004).

What Can Parents Do?

Parents influence whether and when adolescents

begin drinking as well as how their children

drink. Family policies about adolescent drinking

in the home and the way parents themselves

drink are important. For instance, if you choose

to drink, always model responsible alcohol

consumption. But what else can parents do to

help minimizethelikelihood that their adolescent

will chooseto drink and that such drinking, if it

does occur, will become problematic? Studies

(U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, 2007) haveshown that it is important to:

• Talk early and often, in developmentally

appropriate ways, with children and teens

about your concerns—and theirs—regarding

alcohol. Adolescents who know their parents’

opinions about youth drinking are more

likely to fall in line with their expectations.
• Establish policies early on, and be consistent

in setting expectations and enforcing rules.

Adolescents do feel that parents should

have a say in decisions about drinking,

and they maintain this deference to parental

authority as long as they perceive the message

to be legitimate; consistency is central

to legitimacy.

• Work with other parents to monitor where

kids are gathering and what they are doing.

Being involved in the lives of adolescents is

key to keeping them safe.

• Work in and with the community to

promote dialogue about underage drinking

and the creation and implementation of

action steps to address it.

• Be aware of your State’s laws about providing

alcohol to your own children.

• Never provide alcohol to someone else’s

child.

Children and adolescents often feel competing

urges to comply with and resist parental

influences. During childhood, the balance

usually tilts toward compliance, but during

adolescence, the balance often shifts toward

resistance as teens prepare for the autonomy

of adulthood. With open, respectful communication and explanations of boundaries and

expectations, parents can continue to influence

their children’s decisions well into adolescence

and beyond. This is especially important in

young people’s decisions regarding whether and

how to drink—decisions that can have lifelong

consequences.

References

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Foley, K.L.; Altman, D.; Durant, R.H.; andWolfson, M. Adults’

approval and adolescents’ alcohol use. Journal of Adolescent

Health 35(4):7–26, 2004.

Grant, B.F., and Dawson, D.A.Age at onset of alcohol

use and its association with DSM–IV alcohol abuse and

dependence: Results from the National Longitudinal

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NIH Publication No. 10–7467
 

October 2010