National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents
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September 25, 2009
Compared with 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.”
In addition to parental attitudes toward their teens’ drinking and drug use behaviors, the survey also looks at factors that contribute to teen smoking, drinking, and other drug use; peer drug use; and access to prescription drugs to get high.
For more information, visit the CASA Web site to view and download the full publication in PDF format.