Why America’s Alcohol and Drug Policies Do Not Work

 By: Bradley P. Koffel, Koffel & Jump

Over the past 15 years, I have represented and counseled hundreds of local high school students and their families after an alcohol or drug related arrest.  I have interviewed countless teens and young adults privately in my conference room, read alcohol and drug assessments from their counselors, and I have listened to many, many caring and scared parents.

The anecdotal evidence is compelling: the scared straight tactics employed over the past 25 years have done absolutely nothing to reduce teen binge drinking, juvenile DUI arrests, alcohol-related accidents, and sexual assaults committed while under the influence.  The United States spends more money on “alert and alarm” public service announcements and educational programs than any other country in the world.  We are the only Western nation with a drinking age of 21. Europe, especially southern Europe,  treats alcohol much differently in their cultures than the United States.  The paradox cannot be ignored.  Despite lower drinking ages, introduction to wine in the home and religious ceremonies, and a message of tolerated moderation, these countries simply do not have the surreptitious, dangerous, binge drinking at the rate and frequency of the United States. 

America’s teens are good at detecting hypocrisy.  In fact, they are really, really good at it.  Hypocrisy is everywhere in the mixed messages teens receive about alcohol use. Our  message to America’s teens focusing on death, date rape, and DUI arrests (all true) is trumped by what kids see and hear every single day in their homes, on commercials, in the media, TV and movies glorifying the use of alcohol as a social lubricant. 

The silent majority of parents just don’t know what to do when they learn that their teen is drinking.  They have been conditioned to think the worst.  Many parents aren’t sure if they should just serve the alcohol in their homes and keep an eye on the kids.  Other parents ban it all together and put awesome fear into their kids if they are ever caught drinking.  What is the answer? Is there an answer?

I believe our country is not quite ready for the answer.  In my professional opinion, what needs to happen is an open, honest, safe conversation with America’s teens about how to protect themselves from dangerous and excessive drinking.  Risk reduction must be the central message.  The most diligent parent is not going to prevent a 17 year old from drinking.  We have become a nation obsessed with “zero tolerance” that we are failing to adopt simple precautions that can prevent dangerous decisions that may harm our kids forever. 

Teen drinking without sober supervision tends to lead to abusive drinking, serious accidents, substantially reduced inhibitions (fighting, reckless driving, unprotected sex, sexual assaults, alcohol poisoning, choking on vomit, and blacking out). I am not suggesting parents start hosting teen drinking parties.  But, I do encourage parents to get educated about how truly prevalent the teen drinking is in our community.  Start there. Then, implement your own risk reduction agreement with your kids. Reduce it to writing.  Sign it. Have your teen sign it.  If, however, you are going to have a zero tolerance policy about the use of alcohol, make doubly sure it matches reality with what your teen is doing when they are out with their friends. In my opinion, the only thing worse than not having a realistic teen alcohol policy in your home is having an unrealistic one.

The problem is this. When a teen is afraid to call for help because they have been drinking and are afraid of the consequences at home, then we have picked that wrong battle to fight.  It is difficult to ask kids to turn to us for help at midnight if they are afraid of being punished for drinking.