Parents often believe that their teens never drink. They’ve “had the talk” and their teen assured them that they had no desire to drink alcohol. They may even go to social gatherings where alcohol was being used, but they will always tell their parents that it’s other people who drink, not them.
As a parent, you likely want to believe this and are inclined to think your teen is telling the truth — and they may be! But the statistics do make it clear that a lot of teen drinking happens, and it’s equally true that many parents have no idea what is really happening.
The results of a study on teen drinking
For instance, consider that one study on teen drinking habits asked what they had done in the last month. These are the results, per the CDC:
- 5% of teens admitted to drinking and driving
- 17% of teens admitted to riding with someone else who had used alcohol
- 14% of teens engaged in binge drinking
- 29% of teens admitted to consuming alcohol, despite being underage
Now, you may think this means that most teens don’t drink, but this was only for the prior 30 days. Since teens can’t buy alcohol, they often drink sporadically. If one out of three teens had been drinking in the last month, how many more had drank at some point in the last year? It’s very clear that the total percentage of teens who consume alcohol is higher.
Did your teen get arrested?
An arrest for underage drinking can have serious ramifications. Parents and teens need to understand all of their legal options for a defense.
