Prevention Matters

Teens who have seen their parents drunk are more than twice as likely to get drunk in a typical month, and three times more likely to use marijuana and smoke cigarettes, when compared to teens who have not seen their parents drunk. Those are among the results of the 2009 Teen Survey from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

"Some Moms' and Dads' behavior and attitudes make them parent enablers—parents who send their 12- to 17-year olds a message that it's okay to smoke, drink, get drunk and use illegal drugs like marijuana," said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA's chairman and founder and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. "...Teens' behavior is strongly associated with their parents' behavior and expectations, so parents who expect their children to drink and use drugs will have children who drink and use drugs."