More Teens Are Leaving The Malt Shop For The Beer Cooler

by Tom Henderson (Subscribe to Tom Henderson's posts) Mar 4th 2010 4:00PM

Categories: Teens & Tweens, Safety, In The News, Alcohol & Drugs

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Don't listen to her, boys and girls! Drinking may seem like the "in thing" now, but this is one cheerleader who's going to find out that Booze Street is a dead end. Credit: Getty Images

America's teens may have fallen off the wagon.

And they were doing so well, too.

For about a decade, statistics showed fewer and fewer teenagers hitting the sauce. Now booze is making a comeback, according to a study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

The study, sponsored by the MetLife Foundation, tracked the number of high school freshmen through seniors who use alcohol. The number of kids who reported drinking alcohol went from 35 in 2008 to 39 percent in 2009.

Meanwhile, the use of Ecstasy rose from 6 percent in 2008 to 10 percent in 2009. Marijuana use went up from from 32 percent in 2008 to 38 percent in 2009.

The problem is attitude, says Steve Pasierb, the president of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, in a press release.

A growing number of teenagers (45 percent in 2008 and 51 percent in 2009) agree that "being high feels good." The study also showed a 6 percent increase in the number of teenagers who say their friends usually get high at parties.

And that's just hunky dory with them, apparently.

Fewer kids (a drop of 5 percent between 2008 and 2009) say they don't want to hang around druggies.

Such numbers "should put all parents on notice that they have to pay closer attention to their kids' behavior -- especially their social interactions -- and they must take action just as soon as they think their child may be using drugs or drinking," says Pasierb in the press release.

Dennis White, the president of the MetLife Foundation adds that "the earlier parents take steps to address a child's drug or alcohol use, the greater the chance they'll be effective in preventing a serious problem. We need to be sure parents know when it's time to act, and how to act when confronted with a substance abuse situation."

Parents might be part of the problem, says Partnership Chairman Patricia Russo in the release.

The study shows that nearly half (47 percent) of parents either waited to take action or took no action at all when their kids were drinking.

"We're very troubled by this upswing that has implications not just for parents, who are the main focus of the Partnership's efforts, but for the country as a whole," says Russo in the release.

"The United States simply can't afford to let millions of kids struggle through their academic and professional lives hindered by substance abuse," she adds. "Parents and caregivers need to play a more active role in protecting their families, trust their instincts and take immediate action as soon as they sense a problem."

Related: Miller Light Commercial About a Girl, A Beer and a Cliff Gets Our Goat

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Comments (26)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

JetBlue 3-05-2010 @ 3:21AM

I didn't start drinking until I was 22. My mom and dad were both alcoholics until my dad killed himself and my mom switched to crack. I was 14 then, and I started working out and practicing martial arts to take my mind off things. I even had only soda at the bar on my 21st birthday. Yes my friends made fun of me. Those friends that were drinking and smoking weed though - thought it was cool that I was straight, and now we are in our 30's and we are lawyers, doctors and police officers. One friend who got stoned alot and did mushrooms is an aide to a Senator now. I suggest that we tackle the cause of escapism behavior, instead of villifying the symptoms. Sometimes parents are the last people we can rely on through crisis. And sometimes once kids see the illusion of the "glamorous" drugs and drinking for what they are, the phase passes. If I were to offer a suggestion I would say that we could consider taking a higher ground and considering the bigger picture of our children's lives. Have their friends over and let them see where you are coming from. Also stand your ground and take in alla advice and pick who or what you want to listen to regarding your parenting. Be true to yourself and your kids will see that you care, even if it seems to them or your partner, or public persons that you are being too easy or too hard on them. trust yourself enough to perhaps be wrong, and accept that change is possible either way. People may know when you love them, but it doesn't hurt to tell them. Don't let your own frustration sabotage any relationships. Understand no one is perfect.

James 3-05-2010 @ 8:38PM

Tom, where have you been? And your source is Met Life.

As a professional, I use Focus Adolescent Services.

I have recently seen a novel and what I think will be a revolutionary change in drug use on their web site. It is called, "The Drug Test Club."

It turns the current abuse dynamic upside down. It enables a child to really say no, ( bless your heart Nancy), and still be cool and accepted.

Research Tom research.

Brenda 3-05-2010 @ 10:58PM

Alcohol vs Tobacco. Which one ruins more relationships than the other?

ycav4424 3-05-2010 @ 8:50PM

Why don't all the freaky people with the spam at the beginning of almost every comment section have a Reply thingy in their little box. How do they pull off that and being at the beginning every time? And what kind of virus's do you get if you go to the address that they have?

Jeff Trenkle 3-05-2010 @ 9:01PM

I was never very fond of those laws... Wait until the child reaches the epitome of their arrogance to introduce them to alcohol.

SallyStor 3-05-2010 @ 9:13PM

James Post # 6

I agree 100% with with your post.

Focus Adolescent Services is the best. They helped to save our son and they did it for free. I cannot thank them enough.

The Drug Test Club is for every parent with a child. Even if they know their child is not using drugs.

It is the best thing for our country since sliced bread.

gs 3-05-2010 @ 9:25PM

i am 62 - when i was 14 i was drinking beer once in a while - at 16 i was getting drunked up once or twice a weekend - since i turned 23 i have not drank enough alcohol per year to get a buzz on if i cosumed the yearly amout all at once - teens drink - we should find a reasonable way to keep them alive - what we do know is nonsense - any judge, cop, government employee or government official that says he did not drink under age is almost certainly a liar - the hypocricy in this country is everywhere - a country of lies that loves reality tv - there is no hope

Coop 3-05-2010 @ 9:51PM

They do it by posting their spam as a reply to someone else's comment - thus, no reply button shows up in THEIR comment.

Coop 3-05-2010 @ 9:57PM

BTW - that was supposed to be a reply to YCAV's question above.

Frank Hogue 3-05-2010 @ 9:32PM

My friends and I started drinking as juniors in high school. This was in the 60's. To the best of my knowledge not one of us used drugs and none are alcholics.
They all hold good jobs or have retired. To blame alcohol for all the problems is like saying Iran is working on uranium for peaceful purposes.

Bryan 3-05-2010 @ 9:40PM

Want an answer? Catch an underage drinker and send them to jail for a year. Real jail. Jail where you work all day. No friends, no nintendo, no cell phone, no dates and no fun. I would bet that you wouldn't have to send more than a few dozen before attitudes begin to change.

Phil 3-06-2010 @ 4:33AM

Bryan: Want an answer? Catch an underage drinker and send them to jail for a year. Real jail. Jail where you work all day. No friends, no nintendo, no cell phone, no dates and no fun. I would bet that you wouldn't have to send more than a few dozen before attitudes begin to change.
Come on Bryan, What century do you live in! Since when has jail ever stopped someone from drinking or doing drugs besides the fact that putting an underage drinker in "Real jail" only makes him come out bigger, stronger and meaner w/ a lot of new mean friends!!!

Erica!!! 3-05-2010 @ 10:01PM

I'm 18. I have to say I don't agree with this fully. My mom was a alcoholic and didn't care where I was and my dad lets me drink now and use to let me drink from his glass when I was younger. And I don't drink or smoke or do drugs now. I use to when I was in high school just to experiment, not becasue my mom did it, I hated the fact that she drank. Any how, I stop when it just got annoying and now I am heading for the Dean's list and I am in one of the biggest honors club in my campus. So I think the erge for a teen to do this is the school enviorment and because they're just curious. I grew up with all kinds of kids, meth heads, crack heads, dealers, everyone. It's just their decision if they want to stop or not. Not everything is a parents fault.

brittany 3-06-2010 @ 2:16AM

..Is anyone supposed to believe you're 'headed for the deans list,' when you don't know how to spell the word urge?

Phil 3-06-2010 @ 4:39AM

Unfortunately, A LOT is the parents fault, you got lucky, you were smart and did the right thing but look how many kids become alcoholic or drug addicted adults. Kids are easily persuaded and curious, its up to a parent to remember that and keep them on the straight and narrow, its not easy but it can be done and it must be done EARLY, not when they are a teen-ager!! Let's face it, you got to be strict w/ your kid and teach him to respect authority, then again your kid can also be a loser and still make $10k a week on Jersey Shore!!!

mike hylton 3-05-2010 @ 10:10PM

much ado about nothing ,i was ateenager in the 60s ,the drinking age for beer was 18, most of us bought it at 16-17, in that day most of us boys were looking the draft straight in the face and with that a trip to vietnam, we drank all the time before school after and weekends were crazy, some got hurt sure ,no one in my senior class died, pot was around but here in the midwest it was new and not often used, we drank harder and more often than any teenager today, we survived they will also,no one i know turned into a life time drunk, we all pretty much outgrew the heavy drinking in our 20s, relax they will survive, and yea i know its against the law ,,

csi8299 3-05-2010 @ 11:02PM

So because YOU jumped off a bridge and landed on your feet we should just let all kids do the same? Don't be such a narcissist. Your personal experience is meaningless; you must look at the larger (excluding your majestic self) picture.

tom 3-06-2010 @ 9:19AM

hey dumbo!! how many killed another while DWI? stupid is as stupid does, this country is falling down & you talk about this useless junk?? GET A LIFE (ON MARS)

csi8299 3-05-2010 @ 10:57PM

I am so sick of the old rhetoric of how to keep drugs, tobacco and alcohol from our kids. Just once, will someone look into WHY our kids feel the need to use these things? Then, perhaps, we won't need to find a way to stop them.

Darren 3-06-2010 @ 9:13AM

Maybe if we as adults wonder why the drinking has increased among teenagers, we should look at how alcohol is being pushed at almost every opportunity; commercials, sporting events, every television show almost seems to portray sophisticated people as drinkers, and it's being touted as the panacea of all ills in the medical community. What's funny is telling people that you, as a 37 year old man, doesn't drink and has never been drunk before....they just look at me like, "Right!"

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