Parenting Teens - Alcohol Facts

Key points to remember about alcohol facts

Not drinking is the safest option for young people under 18.

not drinking is the safest option for young people under 18
it is best not to supply alcohol to young people under 18
alcohol contributes to more young people dying than any other drug
alcohol is involved in around 1 out of every 3 crimes committed in New Zealand each year
no alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding is the safest choice

How much do New Zealanders drink?

Many New Zealanders drink regularly

8 out of 10 New Zealanders aged 12- 65 years reported drinking alcohol within the past year and around 1.4 million people drank at least once a week¹.

New Zealanders spend approximately $85 million per week on retail alcohol sales².

Many young people drink large amounts when they drink

About half of the drinkers under 25 years of age drink large quantities when they drink, as do about a quarter of all adult drinkers³.

1 out of 3 students reported binge drinking (5 or more standard drinks in a 4 hour period) in the past month⁴.

Alcohol is a common factor in crimes, assaults, child abuse and accidents

Alcohol is involved in around 1 out of every 3 crimes committed in New Zealand each year⁵.it is also a common factor in violent and sexual assaults (including family violence), child abuse and neglect, and road crashes and other machinery accidents.

Alcohol contributes to more young people dying than any other drug.

Alcohol contributes to more young people dying than any other drug - between 2005 and 2007, alcohol contributed to the deaths of 1 in 4 children and young people⁶.

There are health risks associated with drinking alcohol

Alcohol is now recognised as a carcinogen (cancer-causing) and is proven to raise the risk of breast cancer, and mouth, throat, digestive system and liver cancer.

No alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding is the safest choice.

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage, as well as harm to your baby causing a range of lifelong effects. This range of effects is called fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or FASD for short. The effects can include premature birth, brain damage and physical birth defects. The effects continue after the baby is born and can include developmental delay, learning disabilities, and social, emotional and behavioural problems (see Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: Prevention [1]). No alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding is the safest choice.

Pure alcohol contains 7 calories per gram or approximately 70 calories per 10 ml of pure alcohol (one standard drink measure).

There is no way to increase the rate at which your body gets rid of alcohol

See Alcohol and young people [2] and Alcohol guidelines [3].

Drinking coffee, cold showers, drinking more alcohol, sleeping or fresh air do not sober you up - there is NO way to increase the rate at which your body gets rid of alcohol.

References:

1. Ministry of Health Alcohol Use in New Zealand: Key Results of the 2007/08 New Zealand Alcohol and Drug Use Survey (Wellington, 2009) at 15–33 [Alcohol Use Survey 2007/08]
2. The real story of Kiwis & Alcohol. ALAC 2012
3. Ministry of Health Unpublished Data Analysis of the 2004 New Zealand Health Behaviours Survey – Alcohol Use (June 2009) [Ministry of Health Data Analysis]
4. Ameratunga, S., Waayer, D., Robinson, E., Clark, T.C., Crengle, S., Denny, S., Sheridan, J. & Teevale, T. (2011). Youth'07: The Health and Wellbeing of Secondary School Students in New Zealand. Young People and Alcohol. Auckland, New Zealand: The University of Auckland, Adolescent Health Research Group
5. New Zealand Police National Alcohol Assessment (Wellington, 2009) at 7 www.police.govt.nz [4][National Alcohol Assessment]
6. Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee, Te Ròpù Arotake Auau Mate o te Hunga Tamariki, Taiohi. 2009. Special Report: The involvement of alcohol consumption in the deaths of children and young people in New Zealand during the years 2005–2007. Wellington: Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee

Acknowledgements:

[5]

The Paediatric Society of New Zealand and Starship Foundation are very grateful to Northland District Health Board (NDHB) for permission to reproduce this content from the Whānau pack: Tools for families and parents with teenagers (PDF, 4.16MB) [5].

Copyright
NDHB own the copyright in this material and it must not be copied or reproduced except as expressly permitted by NDHB.

External links and downloads (see the online version for more information at other websites)

Information about the adolescent brain (Brainwave Trust) [6]

The Brainwave Trust Aotearoa website provides a range of articles and podcasts about adolescence, including the adolescent brain and the effects of alcohol and marijuana on the adolescent brain.

Alcohol and drug disorders: Guides for families/whānau and young people (Werry Centre) [7]

The Werry Centre for child and adolescent mental health provides a range of information for family, whānau and young people. See their handouts:

Alcohol and your kids - what can you do? (HPA) [10]

A Health Promotion Agency (HPA) booklet for parents and caregivers with helpful information and advice about alcohol and teenagers. It includes:

tips about delaying their teens drinking as long as possible
information about being a good role model and building and maintaining a good relationships with teens
what the law says
what to do when things go wrong

Alcohol and drug factsheets for young people [11]

The Drug Foundation has a variety of resources to help parents talk to their teens about alcohol and drugs. Their website [12] has videos and infographics in English, Samoan, Tongan, te reo Māori and Chinese.

This page last reviewed 24 February 2021.
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