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applied_final_project_part_1.docxRunning head: PARENT-SUPERVISED ALCOHOL USE 1
PARENT-SUPERVISED ALCOHOL USE 8
Applied Final Project Part 1: Parent-Supervised Alcohol Use
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Introduction
The use of alcohol among the adolescents is associated with inappropriate behavior such as reckless driving, risky sex and violence (World Health Organization, 2008). The increment of the drinking behaviour among the adolescent originates from peer-influence at the childhood, lack of parental guidance on the risks of drinking and media influences (Latendresseet al., 2008). A research by Kostermanet al. (2000) shows that good family management such as clear rules against use of alcohol, monitoring of children’s behavior and punishing those who violates the rules is an aspect of decreasing adolescence’s alcohol use. When a parent seems to favor a particular brand of alcohol or other drugs, the children perceive that a certain brand is to be used which increases the likelihood of engaging in alcohol use (Foley et al., 2004). This is because parental approval of children within 5-18 years to taking certain brands of alcohol in the name that such drinks do not lead to addiction promotes alcohol familiarization which becomes a problem at adolescent age. Parental use of alcohol at home likewise is said to promote use of alcohol among the young for the alcohol is easily available, making the children to develop interest in the use of it. This work will give a diversified discussion on use of alcohol among the young as a result of parents not being keen in controlling use of alcohol. Additionally, the participation of parents in promotion of alcohol use among their rebellious children will be outlined.
Laws governing use of alcohol
In US, there are national and state policies that promote family codes and conducts against use of alcohol. For instances, policies are set in ensuring that the minimum age for purchase and use of alcohol to be 21 years and there are laws which focus on retail and social accessibility of alcohol among the youths. There are school policies than facilitate abstinence for use of alcohol. Calls in support of zero tolerance towards adolescent’s use of alcohol in conjunction to severe punishments and illegality of alcohol use have been supported by the government (US Department of Health and Human Service, 2007). According to a research by ProCon organization in 2016, some countries that have laid a minimum age of 18-19 for youths who are to use alcohol such as Argentina and Canada; while there are those countries that has no minimum age for users of alcohol such as Indonesia and Togo making use of alcohol to be accessible by any person at any age.
The take of parents in control of alcohol use
Parental supervision in regard to alcohol use is perceived differently in many countries in minimizing, moderating and promoting drinking of alcohol. States that have laid policies in ensuring abstinence of alcohol use among minors, parental supervision increases use of alcohol and vice versa. This act as a contrast in parents controlling use of alcohol since one expects that when there is parental supervision is administered; the rate of alcohol use would be minimal since parents are expected to alert minors of the risks of alcohol as a strategy to keep them away from alcohol use.
The fact that there are states and national policies in minimization of drug use, there are parents who provide alcohol to their children. For instance, in according to a research by American Medical Association (2006), there was a party held by teens where there were a lot of alcoholic beverages with the party happening in presence of parents who did not prohibit the young ones from drinking. Thus, parental approval on use of alcohol and provision of chances that promotes use of alcohol has recently been countered. However, in US, such parents are charged with provision of alcohol to the minors which is said to reduce incidents of drunk-driving and immorality as a result of being controlled by alcohol.
In Australia, most of adolescent drinkers are said to acquire alcohol from their parents, which is an indication that parents approve use of alcohol by their children. There are regulations that support alcohol use by minimizing rate at which youth consumes alcohol. For instance, in Australia, the government is in support of alcohol guidelines in requesting youths under 18 years to be responsible drinkers when they have to drink. The guidelines caution the youths from drinking and driving, if they have to drink; they need to be accompanied by another person who is not to drink. Such an initiative advocates use of alcohol and the youths apply it wrongly in alcohol engagement. Additionally, the guidelines allowparents to drink with their children as a measure of monitoring their behavior and parents making the children to be responsible drinkers.
Sensitization of alcohol use by parents imparts harm minimization among the drinkers, which is a measure of encouraging use of alcohol in a responsible manner. However, the parents are to allow use of alcohol to children aged 15-18 years; for underage consumption is prohibited by the government. Zero tolerance also support that underage drinking of alcohol should be prohibited. Parental rules in regard to drinking alcohol is said to tolerate some behavior increasing alcohol consumption in unsupervised cases. Parents guiding youths on devices associated to drug use instill reduction of vices associated to alcohol use. Harm minimization encourages responsible drinking in family set-ups where parents advocate that alcohol is available to children and initiatives to control consumption needs to be placed.
However, responsible drinking is blamed for greater likelihood of youth’s use of alcohol. There are mixed results in regard to supervised drinking being implicated with increment of alcohol use; while it has been proven that parental supervision over use of alcohol to reduce incidents of adolescent’s engagement leading to inappropriate behavior among the drinkers. This is may be because at one point, the youths meet in absence of their parent’s leading to adverse behavior. Thus, there are policies that oppose parental supervising their young ones in alcohol use. The policies advocate for zero tolerance in alcohol use among underage as a strategy of prohibiting use of alcohol, which cannot be possible due to availability of alcohol either at school, from friends and at home. Advance punishment by the state to be implemented among the youth’s pose dangers of careless drinking which contributes to an inappropriate approach towards correcting youths on how they need to handle their drinking habits.
Repercussions of both opposing and advocating supervisory drinking among youths
The result of opposing policies that allows youths to drink under supervision in encouraging responsible drinking imparts negative morals within the society. According to McMorriset al. (2007), when a child is prohibited from certain things such as alcohol, they develop an attitude in wanting to know why alcohol is being prohibited from them. In this manner, careless drinking is identified from such individuals. Children at the verge of being prohibited from use of alcohol tend to consume it in more amounts when in a position to access it so as to balance when it is not available. This contributes to their lack of concentration at school since they feel inferior from those who are allowed to consume under supervision. These children may drink in excess when given an opportunity to consume alcohol which may endanger their health and lead to addiction due to lack of monitoring. They may associate themselves with inappropriate behavior such as crime as an attempt of defending themselves from those who have been given freedom to take alcohol under moderation.
However, when freedom is proposed to allowing children use alcohol under supervision, an element of addiction may be slowly to an extent that a child may be consuming alcohol in everyday even though the amount is small. Excising freedom amongst youths may promote wrong abuse of alcohol. In Australia where the state allows use of alcohol among the youths with supervision, the state has been unable to control use of alcohol among students than it is in US where the rate is controllable due to prohibition of alcohol use among minors (McMorriset al., 2007). Parental supervision in minors over alcohol use has contributed to minors in Australia being unable to stop drinking even in later years when one decides to refrain from alcohol use. This has accelerated incidents of accidents, injuries and unacceptable behaviour among the youths. In contrast, lower rates of accidents and injuries occur in US due to zero tolerance policies on use of alcohol by not allowing parents supervise alcohol use in the name of assuring responsive alcohol intake.
References
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Foley, K.L., Altman, D., Durant, R.H. and Wolfson, M. (2004). Adults' approval and
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