She Never Knew What Hit Her

Underage drinking is like playing Russian roulette, especially for teenage girls.

by Mary Anne Dunkin

December 1, 2005

T his year, Georgia's 21-year drinking law turns 21. But are young people waiting for their 21st birthday to drink? Hardly. Underage drinking is putting our daughters at risk of accidents, alcoholism, crimes and possibly the decreased ability to function optimally as adults.

A young woman barely 16 asks the man at the keg to pour her another beer. He obliges, despite the fact she and her friends are becoming visibly intoxicated. Granted, the girl, in a tight skirt, heels and makeup, looks older than her years. In fact, to a stranger who didn't know her, she might pass for 21. But the man pouring the beer is no stranger. He is her father. The party is in her own basement.

The scenario, unfortunately, is not that unusual. Increasingly, party-goers as young as 12 or 13 are forgoing sodas and fruit punch for beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks. And increasingly, the source of the alcohol is not an older friend, a stranger paid off in a convenience store parking lot or a bartender or liquor store clerk fooled by a fake ID, but the child's own parents. Sometimes, the offense is inadvertent - a liquor cabinet left unlocked or a six-pack left in the refrigerator. But often parents are the ones pouring the brew or hosting the party. Moreover, they're paving the way for disaster.

The Myth Of Responsible Drinking
The thought of parents serving alcohol to minors is one that disturbs Michelle Stumpe, an Atlanta attorney who began her career defending restaurants and bars in lawsuits for selling alcohol to minors. Now she also has her own consulting firm, which works with bar and restaurant owners and employees, trying to help them reduce access to alcohol by minors.

"I used to think if we could address [underage drinking] through the alcohol providers we would do well, but now I am learning that more and more of these kids are getting alcohol not only through these outlets but from their parents," says Stumpe, who has a teenage daughter of her own.

Parents who serve kids alcohol may do so for a number of reasons, she says. Many are afraid to say no or they want to appear hip or cool to their kids. But the reason most parents give is that they want their kids to drink safely and responsibly.

"Many parents believe that if their children drink at home where they are supervised, they won't go out and drink with their friends," Stumpe says. "But statistics show that isn't true. Children who are allowed to drink at home - even if they make a pact with their parents not to drink away from home - are more likely to drink away from home than kids whose parents strictly forbid it, because they get the message it's not a big deal."

For teenagers, however, drinking is a big deal. Whether at home or away from home, it is not only illegal, it also carries serious health and safety consequences, especially for girls.

The Dangers Of Underage Drinking
"For most parents, their worst nightmare would be to get a call that their child was injured or killed in an automobile accident," says Grant Hawkins of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in Atlanta. Certainly a child's drinking increases the chances that that call may one day come. Already more likely to have fatal accidents because of their lack of experience, drivers under 21 are also more susceptible to alcohol-induced impairment of driving skills, Hawkins says. According to research published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol, adolescents between16 and 20 who drink and drive are twice as likely to die in a traffic accident as are drivers 21 and older.
 
But automobile accidents are just one of the many dangers for underage drinking. Here are some other startling facts that parents must consider.

Rapes. In one survey, approximately10 percent of high school students reported having been raped - usually by a date. Using alcohol greatly increases a girl's risk of being among that percentage. "Eighty percent of teenage rapes occur because one or both of the kids are intoxicated," says Stumpe.

Young women who drink may also increase their risk of being drugged, says Gail DiSabatino, Ed.D., dean of students at Georgia Tech. "If you are drinking and not paying full attention to what's going on in your surroundings, it makes it easier for someone to slip something into your drink." DiSabatino is the principal investigator on a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that is enabling Georgia Tech to work with 10 other colleges around the country to examine new approaches to reducing high-risk drinking.

High-risk sex. Even if a young woman is not forced to have sex, alcohol-impaired judgment makes her more likely to engage in high-risk sex practices, such as having sex with multiple partners or without a condom - putting her at great risk of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV, and pregnancy. One study shows half of teenage pregnancies occur while the young woman is under the influence of alcohol. Another shows there is a correlation between the amount of alcohol consumed and an adolescent's high-risk sex behaviors.

"When you're that age, your brain hasn't fully developed to allow you to fully appreciate the risks and consequences of your actions," says Stumpe. "So you combine that with alcohol's tendency to dull the judgment and you have kids who are making [bad] decisions."

Suicide. Adding alcohol to the depression and stress that often come with adolescence can be deadly. In a study published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence, as many as 37 percent of eighth-grade girls who drank heavily reported attempting suicide.

Increased risk of alcoholism later. Research shows that people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop a dependence on alcohol at some point in their lives than those who have their first drink 20 or older. It is not clear whether the drinking itself leads to later alcohol dependence or whether kids predisposed to alcoholism - either genetically or because of high alcohol consumption in their families- are more likely to seek it out or have access to it earlier.

Accidents (other than automobile). Virtually any type of accident is more likely in kids who have been drinking. "Alcohol is the number one cause of fatal drownings and burns in youth under age 21," says Stumpe. "It all comes back to as a kid we think we are invincible. We think nothing will ever happen to me."

Bad grades and reduced achievement. A girl's figure is not the only thing developing during adolescence. Her brain is also developing and forming new networks. "The brain needs to develop in an alcohol-free environment," says Stumpe. Exposing the brain to alcohol during this period of development may interrupt key processes so that the brain does not function optimally, even when it is not under the influence of alcohol.

The immediate result of that can be poor school performance, says Hawkins. Nationwide, he says, college-age students who drink nine or more drinks a week have a D or F average. But occasional drinking can take a toll as well. "If you get drunk one time, that affects abstract mental functioning and your ability to take tests and collate words for up to 30 days," says Hawkins. "It takes a while for your brain to get back to normal. If you have a couple of beers and get a buzz, your brain doesn't fully recuperate for four to seven days. Many students don't realize if they get drunk tonight they may not do as well on a test next week."

Lifelong  memory impairment and brain damage. For some young people the detrimental effects of alcohol will persist long after the college years. While high-risk drinking usually goes down with age, research suggests that damage to the brain caused by drinking can last a lifetime. In laboratory animals, at least, drinking in adolescence is associated with memory impairment in adulthood. While comparable tests have yet to show similar effects in people, high-tech imaging studies of adolescents' brains show disturbing alcohol-related changes.

The hippocampus - the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory - is, in general, significantly smaller in kids who drink heavily compared to kids who don't drink. Furthermore, the earlier adolescents begin drinking, the smaller their hippocampuses are.

Why Women Are At Particular Risk
While underage drinking is a problem for both girls and boys, in recent years drinking among girls has outpaced that of boys. The Bethesda, Md.-based coalition Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, for example, cites 2002 research showing that 38.5 percent of ninth-grade girls reported drinking in the past month, versus 34 percent of boys. Experts cite a number of reasons for the shift, including the increased pressures on girls in our society.

While DiSabatino believes that in college problem drinking is still more common in men, she says pressures - both academic and social - may prompt girls to drink persistently through the college years.

Another reason for increased drinking among girls is the way drinking is portrayed in the media, particularly in alcohol advertising. "They see advertisements with the sexy woman and the crazy guy and they get this message that [drinking] makes them more attractive and more appealing, and they are going to have more fun with the guys if they drink," says DiSabatino.

In a study released recently by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., researchers found that children were exposed to more alcohol advertising than were adults. And the greatest target audience for that advertising was underage girls. Looking at both the advertising content and readership age of popular magazines including Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Maxim and Sports Illustrated, the group found that while underage boys saw 29 percent more advertising in 2002 than did legal-age men, underage girls saw 68 per-cent more alcohol advertising than did legal-age women 21 and older. For malt-based drinks teenage girls saw 95 percent more advertising than did women.

Compounding the problem is the fact that when girls do drink alcohol they don't tolerate it as well as boys do. "Men have more water in their muscles that dilutes the alcohol," explains MADD's Grant Hawkins. "Women don't have that so they get impaired a lot easier than men."
 
Furthermore, girls tend to choose so-called lollipop drinks or popsicle drinks, which have more alcohol on average than beer does, Hawkins says. "So if the drinks they are already drinking have more alcohol, it really becomes an issue."

What's A Parent To Do?
As the problem of underage drinking and its recognition have increased, so have the programs designed to help deal with the problem. Georgia Tech, for example, offers an online course, developed with area police departments, to help alcohol servers in bars and restaurants learn to identify fake IDs and how to handle under-age or drunk customers. In Cobb County, an underage drinking task force - a collaboration of government, organizations and businesses - was formed to promote limiting the availability of alcohol to youth and increasing community awareness around the issues of underage drinking and adult provision of alcohol to minors.

But experts say the solution to the problem of underage drinking ultimately begins at home. Here are some things you as a parent can do:

Set clear limits. It's important to be firm, but loving with your children. Let them know that drinking is not acceptable- anywhere, says DiSabatino.
 
Keep communication open. Speak with your kids about alcohol in a nonconfrontational way, and be willing to answer their questions, says Hawkins.
 
Don't brag about drinking. DiSabatino also advises parents not to share their own stories of college drinking. "That glamorizes the whole situation and makes it appear as though it's all okay."
 
Know the signs. If your child is drinking or has a drinking problem, it's important to seek help. Her pediatrician may be a good place to start. For signs that alcohol use may be a problem, see the sidebar "Does My Daughter Have an Alcohol Problem?"
 
Know where your kids are. Find out who they are hanging out with and what they are doing, says Hawkins.
 
Be strong enough to be uncool. Don't be afraid to invade your kids' lives, says Hawkins. "If your child is going to a party, call the host and ask, "Who is supervising? Will alcohol be served?" If your child is out late, call and check on [her].Ride by the house. If it looks crazy, go in." Such activities may embarrass your child or brand you as an uncool parent, Hawkins says. "But taking a role is much better than hearing the next day that a 14-year-old was killed in a crash."

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Does My Daughter Have An Alcohol Problem?

Concerned that your child has a drinking problem? Why don't you just ask her? Although most teens will deny a problem, it's important to let her know you're concerned about what's going on in her life and that you're available to talk when she's ready. Experts offer the following signs that there could be a problem worth investigating:
  ¥ Quick or drastic change in behavior.
  ¥ Poor grades in a previously good student.
  ¥ Changes in musical interests.
  ¥ Changes in friends or loss of longtime friendships.
  ¥ Bloodshot eyes.
  ¥ Sneaking out at night or not wanting to explain where she is going.

Resources
Mothers Against Drunk Driving-Georgia
100 Edgewood Avenue, NE,
Suite 810
Atlanta, GA 30303-3070
(404) 223-3331
(888) 833-6033
www.maddga.org

Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free
c/o The CDM Group, Inc.
7500 Old Georgetown Road
Suite 900
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 654-6740
www.alcoholfreechildren.org