This blog post is in response to the Sunday, August 4, 2013 Novato Patch article titled "When It Comes to Alcohol and Teens, Is Just Saying 'No' Effective?"
First, we would like to thank Novato Patch for continuing the conversation about the efforts of the Novato Blue Ribbon Coalition for Youth. The Blue Ribbon Coalition is partnering with local and county groups, including youth, to prevent underage drinking. Unfortunately, to compare the “Just Say No” campaign to the proven and effective alcohol prevention strategies that the coalition is working on is uniformed.
The Patch article discusses whether or not parents should allow their children under 21 to have alcohol. Sadly, the book and author’s studies that were cited--suggesting that stopping teens from drinking can contribute to binge drinking--does not appear to contain rigorous research that has been reviewed or published in major journals or publications.
Furthermore, the prevalent myth that allowing kids to drink at home helps prepare them for drinking when they are adults has been debunked repeatedly by the World Health Organization and numerous peer-reviewed studies. In fact, the evidence to the contrary shows that when teens feel they have their parents’ approval to drink they do it more often when they are not with their parents.[1]
The national age limit for alcohol is based on research which shows that young people react differently to alcohol. Teens get drunk twice as fast as adults,[2] but have more trouble knowing when to stop. Teens naturally overdo it and binge (5 or more drinks in one setting) more often than adults.
In addition, drinking alcohol while the brain is still developing can cause both short and long-term effects on brain growth. Teens are more likely to suffer blackouts, memory loss, and alcohol poisoning from drinking, as well as damage to their ability to remember things in the future.[3] Adolescent drinkers also perform worse in school, are more likely to fall behind and have an increased risk of social problems, depression, suicidal thoughts and violence.[4]
The Novato Blue Ribbon Coalition has adopted strategies to reduce teen access to alcohol and to change the community’s tolerance of underage drinking. These large scale community-wide strategies are aimed to help communities promote safe and lawful practices that are proven to save lives and reduce tragedies. We support the belief that Novato is a caring, involved community where people can raise families and thrive.
The problem of underage drinking is big and it is serious. As adults, we need to educate ourselves about the facts and let go of outdated myths. Parents can start making a difference with their own children by talking to them about the dangers of drinking, and can also contribute to making a difference in Novato by finding out how to get involved in coalition efforts. For more information, please contact Jasmine Freese, Project Coordinator: jasmine@novatoblueribbon.org or 415-798-5329
[1] Fell, James. From “Chapter 2: Federalism: Resolved, the Federal Government should restore each State’s freedom to set its drinking age.” in Ellis, Richard and Nelson, Michael (eds.) Debating Reform. CQPress Publishers, Fall 2009.
[2] . National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Statistics on Underage Drinking
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[3] White, A (2001). Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC . Alcohol and adolescent brain development.
[4] American Medical Association (AMA) (2002). Fact Sheet from an AMA Report on Alcohol’s Adverse Effects on the Brains of Children, Adolescents and College Students.
