Media inquiries: (804) 924-5679

U.VA. RESEARCHER HELPS PARENTS CURB TEEN ALCOHOL USE

Research increasingly shows that teenage brain development is rapid, possibly causing the extreme behavior and mood swings mostly attributed to hormones. This rapid development may make teens more susceptible to damage from alcohol, according to Sarah Parcell Farrell, R.N., assistant professor of psychiatric nursing at the University of Virginia School of Nursing.

Teens are more likely to binge-drink than adults, Farrell said. That makes them even more vulnerable to brain damage from alcohol. Along with possible brain damage, binge drinking can cause heart attacks and alcohol poisoning, said Farrell, who specializes in working with families to overcome substance abuse.

However, the rates of alcohol use among teens and even children are high. Farrell cited one survey that showed 26 percent of 8th graders, 40 percent of 10th graders, and 51 percent of 12th graders reported using alcohol in a two-week period, and that more than half of those children admitted to binge drinking.

People think of alcohol as a less urgent problem than illegal drugs, but there are very serious physical consequences for teen use of alcohol, she said. Parents tend to forget that alcohol ultimately causes depression and is treated by the body like a poison -- which is why people who drink too much tend to throw up.

The first step is for parents to accept the reality that their teens are being offered alcohol, she said. Help them make the choice not to drink by discussing strategies they can use. Accusing them or prohibiting parties may make them more inclined to drink.

An approach Farrell recommends to parents and teens was developed by researchers at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:

  • Feedback: Sit down with your child and ask if they are encountering pressure to drink. Ask what they know about alcohol's physical effects. Tell them alcohol is a drug just like marijuana or cocaine, and causes distorted thinking and other problems.

  • Responsibility: Explain to teens that drinking is their choice and no one else can make them stop drinking or decide how much to drink except themselves.

  • Advice: Ask a teen's primary care physician to question your teen about alcohol use during a routine physical. This may help them take alcohol seriously.

  • Make practical strategies: Before attending a party, get them to fill up on food and non-alcoholic beverages, then bring a supply of non-alcoholic beverages to drink there. Make an agreement that teens can call you at any time of day or night to be picked up from a drinking situation, and that you will do so without punishing them.

  • Empathy: Try using a warm, reflective and understanding style of talking to your teen about alcohol. This is more effective than a confrontational or coercive style.

  • Self-efficacy: Get teens to participate by thinking of their own strategies for minimizing alcohol in their lives.

If problems from drinking persist, Farrell advises asking a primary care physician to recommend a professional counselor or treatment program.

June 8, 2001