May 1, 2006 Town Hall Program

Questions and Answers

How do you intend to change the minds of parents who feel that it is safer to allow their children to drink in their house than at another party or somewhere else?

Let’s start with the fact that under 5% of parents actually sanction teen alcohol use in their home. (Full data report available this January/February 2007).

However, as one might expect, the idea of “safer” is a sensitive topic. The safety issue, regarding alcohol use at home, starts with the misperception that “everyone” drinks and that drinking at home does not involve driving…hence it is safer. The other identified safety issue is alcohol poisoning. Here is the belief that when youth are in a house, alcohol poisoning can be recognized and dealt with appropriately. However, rarely do teens under the influence seek parental help. Adults don’t always understand the legal penalties and the physical consequences of underage alcohol use. Legally, a parent or guardian can be cited with a misdemeanor arrest warrant and/or a parent or guardian can be held responsible for any harm that may occur as a result of allowing someone under 21 to use alcohol in their home.

The physical consequences are surprisingly far reaching. An American Medical Association analysis of 10 years of research indicates that early alcohol use (12 – 20 yrs) can cause serious, and possibly irreversible, brain damage. See the link on our website, or go to: "Brain Damage Risks"

The SHIFT Coalition intends to provide accurate data regarding the truth of local teens alcohol use and its consequences, via media campaigns beginning in January and March. Why is it taking so long? – Because we must provide accurate and credible data. To do this, we have been surveying students and parents. We’re still gathering the data needed.

It took an entire generation to change tobacco use habits. We hope to create an environment in which fewer parents are comfortable allowing alcohol use in their home and fewer parents will allow their students to attend parties that are unsupervised.. We are not targeting individuals, but targeting a mindset that can shift with time, especially with parents of younger students.

What are the reasons students drink?

Local teens tell us: because friends do, to get drunk, curiosity, just hanging out with friends, to relieve stress, to celebrate. We think, furthermore, that some teens drink to “fit in” to a particular group, or to self-medicate for depression. Students tell us that alcohol is very easy to get in our towns. They add that they are concerned about their friends who drink to excess and/or who seem to need to drink to have fun.

Are middle schoolers participating in any of the surveys? Can we get the middle schools involved?

It is critical that the SHIFT Coalition collaborate with middle school students and staff – and we do. It is in this younger population that change can take place over time so that underage alcohol use is less acceptable for them in high school. Our local middle schools administer the California Healthy Kids Survey which provides good data regarding student health and risk behaviors. SHIFT personnel have not yet administered our behavior/perception survey at the middle school level, but coalition partners have met with middle school students to gather data via focus groups, and parents of middle school students are invited to take part in the parent survey.