Sunday, May 13, 2007

Study: Drinking at Home Reduces Teen Bingeing

From The BBC:
Drinking at home 'cuts bingeing'

Teenagers who drink alcohol with their parents in moderation are less likely to binge drink, research suggests.

The study also said that parents who do not want their children to drink behind their backs should limit their pocket money to less than £10 a week.

The study, led by Liverpool John Moores University, was based on responses from more than 10,000 15 and 16-year-olds.

Almost 90% admitted to drinking alcohol, of which 38% binged, 24% drank frequently and 50% drank in public.

The study also found a third of respondents bought their own alcohol, and those that did were six times more likely to drink in public, and twice as likely to binge than those who had alcohol bought for them. more

I love it when science confirms things I already believe.

In college conversations about drinking are common place. One thing I noticed over the course of those talk is those that were permitted to have a glass of wine when dining out and a little liqueur on holidays or at parties (usually they were around thirteen when this started) drank less on average than those that didn't. My theory on this simple. Once something ceases to be taboo it becomes less interesting. By removing the taboo on alcohol it is less likely to become a tool used in the standard rebellion against parental values.

I still haven't figured out how to apply the taboo removal rule to sex and drugs but as soon as I do you'll be the fourth to know.