Symptoms | Effects of Alcohol | How to Quit | Family Support | Drunk Driving | Women & Alcohol

Kids Looking for Something to Do
Twice as Likely to Have Friends Who Do Drugs

Family Dinners Play Huge Role
in Substance Abuse Prevention

By BuddyT

If you are looking for a way to keep your children alcohol and drug free through their teen years, having regular family dinners together - with no distractions - may be the best approach that you can take.

Teens who have frequent family dinners - five or more per week - are much less likely use alcohol, tobacco and marijuana.

Family dinners are not a "silver bullet" to prevent all teen substance abuse, but teens who communicate frequently and regularly with parents are less likely to try drugs, research shows.

Emotional and Social Benefits

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University released a series of annual reports on "The Importance of Family Dinners" and each year the value of frequent family dinners was highlighted within their results.

"The magic of the family dinner comes not from the food on the plate but from who's at the table and what's happening there. The emotional and social benefits that come from family dinners are priceless," said Elizabeth Planet, CASA's Vice President and Director of Special Projects.

More Likely to Get Good Grades

"We know that teens who have frequent family dinners are likelier to get A's and B's in school and have excellent relationships with their parents. Having dinner as a family is one of the easiest ways to create routine opportunities for parental engagement and communication, two keys to raising drug-free children."

The report divides teens into two categories - those who have less than three family dinners a week and those who have five or more per week with no distractions. No distractions means no texting, no using a cell phone, laptop or other electronic devices at the table.

The Influence of Family Dinners

The influence of frequent family dinners is significant. Here are some of findings of this year's report. Teens who have infrequent family dinners are:

  • Twice as likely to be able to get marijuana within one hour.
  • One and a half times likelier to get prescription drugs within an hour.
  • Twice as likely to have friends who use marijuana and Ecstasy.
  • More than one and a half times likelier to have friends who drink, abuse prescription drugs, and use Meth.
  • Almost one and a half times likelier to have friends who use illegal drugs like cocaine, acid and heroin.
  • More than one and a half times likelier to have seen their parent(s) drunk and to think their father is okay with them drinking.

More Likely to Get Drunk

According to the report teens who have seen their parent(s) drunk are likelier to drink, get drunk, and try cigarettes and marijuana.

Among 12- and 13-year olds, those who have infrequent family dinners are six times likelier to use marijuana, four times likelier to use tobacco, and three times likelier to use alcohol.

Taking your children to church or religious services at least once a week also helps prevent substance abuse. The report found that teens never attend services are more than twice as likely to try cigarettes, and twice as likely to try marijuana and alcohol.

Frequent family dinners also improves teen performance in school. Teens who have infrequent family dinners are one and a half times likelier to report getting grades of C or lower in school.

Source: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. "National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents." Surveys Accessed August 2017.

Learn more about families and alcoholism.







Welcome!

Welcome to the Alcoholism Home Page. If this is your first time here or even if you have been around the rooms for while, start here to find the information or help you are seeking.

-- BuddyT

The Alcoholism Home Page   Contact Buddy T      









Learn More

Find out more about alcoholism and how it can affect not only the drinker, but everyone around him/her from BuddyT, your guide to alcoholism since 1997.

AlcoholismGuide.com



Online Meetings

Participate in scheduled online meetings from your computer or mobile device or fellowship in the 24/7 open chat rooms at your convenience.

StepChat.com



Stay Up-to-Date

Get the latest research and findings, statistics and scientific developments related to alcoholism, substance abuse, and treatment options.

DrySpace.org

© 2020 General Internet