New Year's Eve Causes Increased Risk of Underage Drinking: Parents at Fault?
Parents are cautioned to be more alert about teen drinking as New Year Eve approaches, due to the increased risk of underage drinking and driving.
Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) has reported that 41 percent of teen parents allowed their children to attend parties in 2010 serving alcohol, verses the 36 percent the year before.
The study also showed that 57 percent of teens that were permitted to drink at home still preferred to drink outside of the house. Senior Advisor at SADD, Stephen Wallace disagrees with this kind of parenting and thinks parent’s need a firmer tone.
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'You shouldn't be drinking at all and you certainly can't do it here because we can be put in jail,'" Wallace said to tell children.
According the law, “Parents who furnish or allow underage drinking to occur are subject to civil and criminal penalties.” But in some cases, parents may be charged even when they are unaware that drinking is going on in their house.
University Professor Bill Burnett, was arrested in November after he discovered that his son had thrown a party in the basement and police received a call.
Despite the fact the Burnett said he was unaware and had forbidden alcohol at the party, he was still held over night in jail and faced 44 counts on the suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Each misdemeanor count carries up to a $2,500 fine and nearly a year in jail.
A study by Home Office indicates why parents may start being charged for their teen’s underage drinking.
“As parents were often reported as being the main supplier of alcohol to their children and were generally thought to be aware of their children's behavior, the findings indicate that parents may also need to take some responsibility for addressing their children's drinking behavior,” the study read.
But David Singer of Demarest, N.J., who has 17-year-old twin daughters and a 20-year-old son in College, says that parents feel helpless.
"Some parents feel they need to look the other way in order to help their kids fit in with the cool crowd. And some parents believe, 'It's better under my roof than who-knows-where,'" he told the AP.
The number of underage drinkers increased dramatically in 2009 according to a federal study:
“The number of minors treated in hospital emergency rooms for drinking on New Year's Day 2009 was nearly four times the average daily figure.”
The study, conducted by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2010, estimated that 1,980 emergency room visits on New Year's Day 2009 involved underage drinking, versus 546 such visits on an average day.
“We are encouraging parents to be aware of their teenager’s plans for the night, and who they will be at the New Years Eve event with. Most importantly, know how to get in contact with your teenager, and call or message them during the night to check everything’s alright,” New Years Eve Operation Commander Superintendent Mick Calatzis said.
