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Adolescence brings with it many biological, psychological, and social changes.
Parents continue to play an important role in their children s development during this time, but parental problem drinking can adversely affect adolescent development and adjustment by interfering with parenting skills and marital relations. Problem drinking can also lead parents to model ineffective coping strategies and other problem behaviors. Children with problem-drinking parents are at risk for alcohol and other drug use as well as for psychological problems. Protective factors, such as relatively stable patterns of family behavior, can help offset the negative affects of parental drinking. Problem drinking by parents may contribute to inconsistency and unpredictability in parenting behaviors.