National Survey Shows Most Parents Talk to Kids About Alcohol and Drug
Use but Feel Ineffective

Hazelden Says Other Role Models Need to Get Involved; Clear Messages
Against Use Are Most Effective

/ADVANCE/ MINNEAPOLIS, June 5 /PRNewswire/ According to a national poll
conducted by the Minnesotabased Hazelden Foundation, eight out of ten (78
percent) parents surveyed are talking to their children about drug and alcohol
use by the time their children are 12 years old.

Yet even though parents are talking to their children at an early age,
more than threequarters (79.7 percent) of Hazelden survey respondents feel
they are doing an ineffective job of teaching their kids to not use alcohol
and drugs. National statistics show that drug use among teens continues to
increase. According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse released
by the Department of Health and Human Services, youth drug use rose 24 percent
between 1994 and 1995. Binge drinking (having five or more drinks in a row in
the preceding two weeks) was reported by almost 30 percent of high school
seniors, and the rate of binge drinking among 10th graders was 24 percent in
1995, according to a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Parents Can't Act Alone Though; All Role Models Must Get Involved
"Parents should feel good that they are taking these first steps, because
professional experience has shown that sending kids clear messages against
illegal alcohol and drug use does have a positive impact on overall use." says
Cathy Seward, executive director at Hazelden's Center for Youth & Families.
"However, parents can't do it alone. They need support from other adults who
play a role in the child's development. Adults in schools, churches and other
community organizations must take responsibility for the young people that
they touch and give these kids accurate information and clear limits when it
comes to alcohol and drugs," says Seward.

Zero Tolerance is Most Effective Message to Youth
According to the Hazelden findings, survey respondents believe teens'
behavior is not strongly influenced by parents saying underage drinking is
illegal. When asked to choose from a list of statements which would be most
effective in keeping a child from drinking alcohol, respondents said:

Alcohol abuse can lead to some unwanted consequences such as car
accidents and unplanned pregnancy. (57 percent)
Drinking is harmful to your health. (19 percent)
If you're caught drinking, you'll be punished. (8 percent)
Underage drinking is illegal. (7 percent)
When you're drunk, you may do embarrassing things in front of your
friends. (6 percent)

According to Seward, recent research shows that a zero tolerance message
from parents does have an effect. "In a 1995 student survey done by the
Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning, students ranked their
top five reasons for not using tobacco or alcohol," says Seward. "Parental
objection ranked number 2 for both 9th and 12th graders. The number one
reason was no desire. This certainly tells us that youth hear what parents
say and it makes a difference."

Hazelden Offers Other Ideas for Effective Discussions About Drug and
Alcohol Use

According to Seward, the most effective conversations about alcohol and
drug use are tailored to be ageappropriate for a child. Hazelden offers the
following suggestions on how to talk with kids about alcohol and drug use:

Talk early; talk often. Discuss substance abuse whenever you see it
happening. Help young children distinguish between appropriate and moderate
alcohol use in adults versus times when they may see intoxication or
inappropriate behavior.

Show concern for overall health and safety. Be specific that alcohol
and other drugs are dangerous to a teenager's body, mind and emotions which
are still developing. Be specific about the problems that arise from using
alcohol, e.g. fights, less athletic ability, foolish behavior, throwing up,
making poor decisions that you regret the next day, inappropriate sexuality,
not being able to remember what happened, accidents, dangers around water or
equipment, or problems with mixing alcohol and medications.

Use real experiences not scare tactics to support your efforts.
Scare tactics don't work. Give accurate information. Draw on real
experiences that happen in the community and also situations portrayed on TV,
movies and the radio. Take advantage of times when a child is curious or
confused about alcohol or drug use to further discuss the subject.

Set consequences and stick to them. Be clear what you are
asking of kids. Tell the child you want a commitment from them not
to use alcohol or other drugs. Settle on specific consequences that
you will use when you have evidence of use. Instead of reacting,
respond with specific, agreedupon consequences if you learn your
child has used alcohol or drugs. When discussing the incident, ask
about what was going on and how the situation can be avoided in the
future. How can the parent be of help? What problems might the
child be having? Follow through with the consequences.

Know what's happening in your child's social life. To avoid
problems, make sure you know where your kids are going, who they are
with, and have them come in at a decent hour. Be awake and talk
with your kids when they come home.

Survey Reveals Double Standards for Alcohol vs. Drug Use
The Hazelden survey results show that despite statistics showing that
alcohol continues to be the most popular substance abused by teens today,
adults continue to be more alarmed about drug use among youth. When asked to
compare how they would react if they found out their child was using alcohol
instead of drugs, respondents showed more concern for a child using drugs.
Consider the following:

35 percent of parents said "other illegal drugs" are a more serious
problem among today's youth than alcohol (32 percent) or marijuana (12.6
percent).

More parents said they would seek professional help for their
child for drug use (22 percent for drug use; 10 percent for alcohol
use).

"People have a greater comfort level with alcohol and marijuana and view
usage of these drugs as a rite of passage in our culture," says Seward.

"Parents need to understand that the consequences of alcohol and
marijuana use can be just as serious as the use of other drugs. In
addition, they need to know that both alcohol and marijuana are 'gateway
drugs,' meaning that their use leads to the use of other drugs. We need
to consider alcohol and marijuana as serious as other drugs," says
Seward.

Respondents More Concerned About Use Among Young Women than Young Men
Not only are parents more concerned about drugs than alcohol they are
also more concerned about alcohol use by a daughter than by a son. Nearly
25 percent of those surveyed said they would be more concerned about a
daughter who was drinking than a son (16 percent). Chemical dependency
affects both genders equally, says Seward.

"When it comes to risks associated with drinking or drug use, the
issue is the intoxication, not the sex of the user," says Seward.
"By focusing more attention on our daughters, we're giving tacit
approval to male use and putting our sons more at risk. We don't
want either our sons or our daughters to be at risk, so we need to
give equal attention to both genders."

About Hazelden
The Hazelden Center for Youth and Families, a program of the Hazelden
Foundation, has offered treatment services for youth for 16 years. During
1996, more than 600 youth benefited from HCYF programs and services. The
Hazelden Foundation is an internationally recognized nonprofit organization
providing treatment, education, prevention and professional services in
chemical dependency and related addictive disorders.

About the Survey
The telephone survey, conducted for Hazelden by Market Facts, Inc.,
polled a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults
(representing both males and females). The margin of error for the
sample is plus or minus three percent. For more information about
the details of the Hazelden survey results, call contacts.

SOURCE Hazelden Foundation

CONTACT: Jeff Moravec of the Hazelden Foundation, 6122134228,
or Trish Scorpio or Leah Kondes, both of Shandwick for the
Hazelden Foundation, 6128325000