Increase in Alcohol Use by Girls

A few weeks ago a parent pulled me aside after one of my parent workshops asking me for advice. She began telling me about her daughter’s drinking problem. Her daughter was 16-years-old and attended a local Christian school.

Sadly, this parent isn’t alone.

David wrote about this phenomena in this week’s Youth Culture Window article on our website: Liquor and Lip Gloss. Here’s just a snippet:

It’s been hypothesized for a few years that girls now drink more alcohol than guys, and for more serious reasons, as well. These findings from The Partnership for a Drug Free America hint at an increase in alcohol use by girls over the past decade that’s been slow, but steady. The result is that the number of middle school and high school girls who say they drink sits at 59% while boys continue to hover around the 52% mark. (Equally important was the research team’s discovery that girls are more likely than guys to drink and use drugs as a way to avoid problems and relieve stress.)

But now, the latest studies on “binge-drinking” by teens make the situation even more serious…

This article was eye-opening. CLICK HERE for the entire article.

Alcohol is just one area where parents are becoming lackadaisical, hoping and assuming that their kids aren’t making bad choices. Meanwhile, young people are hearing from every other source that drinking is not only okay, but it’s fun, and usually involves no regrets (As Katy Perry put it in her hit song Last Friday Night, “I’m pretty sure it ruled!” More on that song HERE). Interesting… when I talk with parents inside and outside of the church, most of them don’t have a clue that their kids are listening to songs like this either.

Let me share some good news. I’ve done the research, and the research is clear: parents that are present in their kids lives can make a huge difference. I talk about this more in this article on StudentMinistry.org where I guest blogged this week… the article was called, When Parents Don’t Have a Clue. I encourage you to take a peek.