The earlier kids start drinking alcohol, the more likely they are to abuse it or become dependent on it when they're older. That's why it's important for parents to help delay their children's initiation into the world of alcohol as long as they can. A study shows that brief family intervention programs are a cost-effective way to delay teen drinking.
In a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), researchers at Iowa State University assigned families of sixth graders from 33 rural schools to one of two intervention programs or a control group. The programs were the Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP), a seven-session intervention with parents and students, and Preparing for the Drug Free Years (PDFY), a five-session intervention primarily with parents. These programs emphasized healthy family and peer relationships and taught kids skills to resist social pressure to use alcohol. The participants reported their alcohol use themselves, and results were based on 478 families over four years of study.
13 To 16 - Critical Years
Here's what the researchers found: Fewer teens -- between the critical ages of 13 and 16 -- who were in one of the two treatment groups started to use alcohol than did teens in the control group. Those in the intervention groups, therefore, are predicted to have fewer problems with alcohol use as adults. The researchers conservatively estimated that preventing a single case of adult alcohol abuse produces an average savings of $119,633 in avoided costs to society. Alcohol problems have a great societal cost. According to statistics reported in a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) study, the annual economic costs of alcohol abuse in a year were about $185 billion. The Iowa State University researchers based their cost-benefit analysis on a more conservative estimate of $148 billion, which limited costs to factors such as lost wages and decreased productivity. Less conservative estimates include the dollar value of less tangible costs -- such as pain and suffering -- that are also produced by alcohol disorders.
The scientists conclude that family interventions for the general public have the potential to bring considerable social and economic benefits to society. |
