Some parents believe that one way to prevent their children from binge drinking in college is to allow them to drink in high school. (I guess their thinking is that by letting their teens “practice” drinking in high school, they won’t overdo it when they find themselves on campus — especially if they’re at one of the top party schools, free of parental supervision.)

One way that parents do this is by hosting parties for teens and serving alcohol.

But, a new report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism challenges the idea that prior experience drinking in high school will prevent teens from going overboard in college.

The article, How NOT to Raise a College Binge Drinker highlights research from the Prevention Research and Methodology Center at Pennsylvania State University that says parents who allow their teens to drink alcohol in high school (More…)

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 5 Comment(s)
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Since I write a column for a Spanish gastronomy publication, I often find myself reading wine magazines to see what’s out there pleasing palates these days. I do wish I could be one of those people who delights in taking small delicate sniffs and dainty sips of a prized vintage before making learned comments in which I would toss around terms such as oaky and smoky. Alas, back in the day I tended to do much more swigging and swilling than I ever did swishing and sipping and therefore, it’s always a bit hard for me to relate to the whole world of wine-tasting. Tasting is all well and good but what’s the point really if you can’t go on to guzzle? That’s what I always say anyway. I guess that’s one of the reasons I no longer drink…

Back to my point. I was recently flipping through the June issue of Decanter magazine when I came across an article that really irritated me. It was called “How to Get Your Kids into Wine.”  Author Beverley Blanning kicks off by writing  about how horrible it is that the UK government has actually given the warning that “Parents and young people should be aware that drinking, even at age 15 or older, can be hazardous to health and not drinking is (More…)

• 	Posted by: Johanna Bailey | 1 Comment(s)
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Princeton Review has recently released its 2010 edition of The Best 371 Colleges, ranking American colleges and universities by almost every criterion possible, from knowledgeable professors to quality of dorm food. But despite the fact that nearly seventy lists are included in the guide, there is one list in particular that has students, parents, and college officials across the country talking: “Party Schools,” which ranks the top 20 party schools of 2009.

According to Princeton Review, the “party schools” are determined (More…)

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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As a father of two teens, I know it’s impossible to shield our kids from messages that promote underage drinking. That said, it’s always nice to be given a heads-up so we know just who and what in pop culture may be negatively influencing our kids – and right now in particular, I think you’ll be surprised to find out some of the sources sending pro-drinking messages to our teenagers. Here’s a quick round-up of where our kids have been seeing and hearing “cool” alcohol-related messages lately:

Tweens and younger teens: The latest Harry Potter movie. If you think I’m kidding, check out this article from the New York Times, which cites a number of scenes in which our favorite young wizards, only about 16, drink “butterbeer” and appear to get drunk.

(More…)

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 6 Comment(s)
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Just read this fantastic guest blog on Lisa Belkin’s Motherlode (New York Times). This brave mother, Janice Lynch Schuster, has two teens currently battling what she figuratively refers to as a “big black snake” – or, as it is more commonly known, drug and alcohol addiction. I’m sure that most parents who have watched their children struggle with a drug problem would agree that Schuster is right on target when she compares addiction to a scary – and possibly deadly –snake.

Facing her children’s drug problems, she writes, used to paralyze her. Even when she wanted to confront the monster, she was reduced to ineffectively yelling, taking away things that her kids could just get more of, and convincing herself that drug use was simply a rite of passage for teens. But luckily, Schuster finally got strong enough to intervene and get help for both her addicted children. Here’s a great quote from the post:

“I insisted that first one child and then another be admitted to a substance-abuse recovery program, a residential program that specializes in treating children, like mine, who are alcoholics and drug addicts. Just writing that is painful and foreign; it is as difficult as speaking in the snake’s tongue. The language of addiction is full of loss — lost opportunities, lost lives, lost potential, lost families, lost time. Now both children are in what is called recovery — they have been clean and sober, one for about eight weeks and the other for scarcely more than two.”

For those of you who can relate to Schuster’s story, I highly encourage you to check out Intervene, our newly launched blog here at the Partnership. We’re so proud of Intervene because it’s more than just a website – it’s a supportive community of parents and caring adults concerned about a beloved teen or young adult’s drug use. Right now, we have some very inspiring guest bloggers posting, including two authors with new books out and one wonderful woman who has been running marathons all over the world to raise funds and awareness for drug addiction and treatment.

And remember, you can also visit our website TimeToAct if you suspect or know your teenager is using drugs. TimeToAct has tips on how to initiate a conversation and get your child help.

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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Last summer I blogged about how the presidents of more than 100 colleges and universities asked lawmakers to consider lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. Then this month, comedian Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central’s satirical news show “The Colbert Report” interviewed the man leading the charge. John McCardell, the former President of Middlebury College, believes the current drinking age drives young adults to consume alcohol out of public view, putting them at greater risk.

Watch the clip (05:45) and tell me what you think. Do you agree with McCardell that the drinking age should be lowered to 18? Or do you think this would be a gigantic mistake?

Update: July 1, 2009

Just came across this very interesting New York Times article stating that drinking among young adults under 21 has decreased greatly in recent years…except for those in college. A 27-year-old study shows that men between the ages of 18-20 who don’t attend college binge drink 30% less than they did when the study first began — but there’s been absolutely no statistical change in 18- to 20-year-old men who do attend a university! So perhaps its the college lifestyle — not the high legal drinking age — that’s causing so many young people to binge. Thoughts?

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 5 Comment(s)
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From Medical News Today: A survey of 3,616 college students at two American universities found an overwhelming majority of women overestimated the amount of alcohol a typical guy would like his female friends, dates or girlfriends to drink. The results can be found in the March issue of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, published by the American Psychological Association.

“Although traditionally, men drink more than women, research has shown that women have steadily been drinking more and more over the last several decades,” said the study’s lead author, Joseph LaBrie, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University. “Our research suggests women believe men find excessive drinking sexually attractive and appealing, but it appears this is a giant misperception.”

More about this study at Medical News Today.

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 2 Comment(s)
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Time and time again I see news stories of teenagers losing their lives in horrific car accidents after leaving underage-drinking parties at a friend’s house. Just today, I read about another young teen’s death after he left a party and drove his car into oncoming traffic –- he was only 16. One of the parents at the party had served him and his friends alcohol. The loss of yet another bright future makes me sad, but the fact that a parent would willingly permit teenage drinking by serving alcohol to underage kids just leaves me speechless.

Sadly enough, the article highlights a scary trend — one-third of teens said it was “easy to obtain alcohol” from their parents, according to a 2005 study conducted by the American Medical Association. That figure jumps to 40 percent when it comes to getting alcohol from a friend’s parent. One out of four teens said they had attended a party where minors were drinking in front of parents.

What do you think? Should this mother be held accountable for enabling teenage drinking and providing alcohol to her son’s friends? And what do you tell your own kids when they want to have a party?

• 	Posted by: Joe Keenan | 21 Comment(s)
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From the window next to my computer, I can look out and see groups of young men walking down the street.  They are wearing jackets and ties and seem to be at a loss as to exactly what they are supposed to be doing.  They’re not sure of the protocol as they slowly make their way up the street to a house not far from mine.  They have just returned from a funeral of their friend - a young man just a couple of years out of high school.  A few days ago, from this same window, I could see the paramedics and fire department and a few hours later the medical examiner all approaching the same house.  A night of alcohol and drugs mixed with a young man’s feeling of invincibility came to a tragic end.  I pray for the boy.  I pray for the family.  And, I pray for the young men who don’t know what they are supposed to be doing.  Hopefully, they will figure out more than how to act at a funeral.  Hopefully, they will figure out how to keep another funeral from happening. 

• 	Posted by: James Ponti | 5 Comment(s)
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