14 DAY TRIAL // A new research finds that a great deal of the parents who have kids consuming alcoholic drinks or illegal drugs just under their noses fail to notice their vices. The annual back-to-school survey which reported these high rates of parents who have no clue about their kids' vices portrait a generation of parents who cannot deal with present times. Parents would rather live in denial and have a brighter and more optimistic view of life than facing the real dangers and unhealthy temptations their children are exposed to every day.
The research was carried out by a team of experts from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. They found that underage teenagers usually consume alcohol and illegal drugs, such as cannabis or marijuana and even worse, under their noses. More exactly, researchers found that most kids and teenagers consume the prohibited liquids or substances in their own room, when their parents are at home.
Joseph Califano Jr., Chairman and President of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University stated: "These parents are like the three monkeys. They see no beer, smell no pot, and don't hear all hell breaking loose in the family room because of the alcohol and drugs. ... It doesn't take a sharp nose to smell pot. These parents don't understand the world their children are living in. There is a lot of denial here."
The survey found that only 12% of the parents are aware of the fact that drugs and alcohol are a real menace for their kids, while more than 80% of the parents interviewed by phone stated that they did not notice any illegal substances consumption in their houses or by their children.
On the other hand, the interview performed on about 1,400 teenagers aged between 12-17 showed that almost one third of them admitted having consumed alcoholic drinks or illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, Ecstasy or prescription drugs. What is even more alarming, the teenagers reported that they have consumed the substances at house parties when the parents of the host were at home.
"That shows just how out of touch the parents are. Teen drinking and drugging is a parent problem. The parents are not fulfilling their responsibility or doing their jobs chaperoning their kids. Parents need to wake up and smell the beer and pot," pointed out Professor Califano.