UK Study Links High Allowances to Teenage Drinking Problems

According to Reuters, a United Kingdom study says that kids who receive higher allowances from their parents will be much more likely to become problem drinkers.

The study took place in the UK surveying more than 10,000 15- to 16-year-old British teenagers. Researchers found that the teenagers with higher allowances drank more than the teenagers with lower allowances. The study also found that teenagers with more money were more likely to drink on street corners or other public places. 88 percent of the teenagers surveyed had tried alcohol before, regardless of their financial situation. The teenagers with the higher amount of money in their possession were also found to participate in riskier drinking behavior.

This study brings the suggestion to parents that they should closely monitor what their children are spending their allowance on (if they do not already do so). Even the money that teenagers earn from a part-time or after school job should be up for parental surveillance. By parents monitoring their teenagers' money and spending more closely it is thought that the parents can help curb the teenage binge drinking problem. And of course the results of this survey also call for a better enforcement of drinking laws in the UK, according to Reuters.

The study also found that children have usually had some type of alcohol in the UK by age 14. If they are drinking the alcohol in a controlled environment, as in a glass of wine with dinner with their parents, then those children are less likely to learn their drinking habits from friends or bar trips. The study stresses the importance of parents teaching their children correct drinking habits and monitoring their recreational alcohol intake. Parents should also make sure to talk to their children about alcohol, in all aspects. Parents can explain to their teenagers how to partake in an alcoholic beverage in a responsible manner as well as explaining to their children the risks of binge drinking.

However British researchers also explain that parents are not the only ones responsible for teenage drinking problems. It also imperative that UK laws (which enforce underage drinking at 17 years old and below) are enforced strictly throughout the UK.

According to the survey, parents who give their children 10 pounds, or twenty dollars a week, are more likely to aid financially in their children being involved in risky alcohol behavior.

Reuters, "Study: Big allowances tied to teen alcohol abuse." MSNBC NEWS.

URL: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18907981/wid/11915773?GT1=10008 )