Dr. Val FarmerDr.Val
Search:  
Rural Mental Health & Family Relationships

Rural Teens Susceptible To Under-Age Drinking

November 15, 2004

Teens in rural areas have more problems with alcohol abuse than their urban counterparts do. Why is that?

The influence of adults. Alcohol use in rural communities is so much a part of the social fabric of adult life that teen drinking is often accepted and expected. Of course, it is easy to point the finger at wayward teens for incidents arising out of alcohol abuse when, in fact, adult behavior creates and sustains the problem. The attitude that "nobody is doing anything wrong" is a set up for kids to drink.

Some rural parents also believe alcohol serves an alternative for keeping their kids off what they "call" drugs without recognizing what a powerful drug alcohol is. They think their kids are "safe" when, alcohol is a mind-altering, mood-adjusting drug, as bad or worse that other mood altering drugs in the market.

Peer pressure. As many as one out of six rural families is affected by alcoholism. Teens from these families have a role model for drinking and plenty of problems from which to escape. Their parents' injunctions not to drink come off hollow and hypocritical.

The small student populations in rural communities create a special kind of social pressure. The class as a whole might constitute an in-group. The teasing and persuasion from other teens may not be as much of a factor as the fact that what social life there is centers around drinking. To be a non-drinker is to risk not belonging to the main social group in school.

In a large high school, the "in-group" is splintered. Teens have more choices to find acceptance in a non-drinking group. In a rural school, it may be hard to find a non-drinking "group" of any sort. Teens who would be borderline for drinking if they were in an urban school, end up in the partying crowd in a rural school.

One rural teenager described her introduction into drinking this way. "Everyone else did (drink). The people I was around drank. They teased me. My best friend used it. I grew less and less scared."

In a small school, the social groups split broadly into the "partiers'" and the "non-partiers." The non-partiers may have stricter parents, be more religious, or be more serious about school ("brainy"). Teens from this group occasionally attend parties and don’t drink or drink just on "expected" occasions like prom or graduation.

Popular kids set the tone. The power of class pressure toward drinking seems to be a function of the leadership of the most popular kids. If the most popular students drink, they set the trend and put pressure on the rest. If the class leaders are more strait-laced, the activities of the class will not be as drinking-oriented. The choice not to drink is easier to make. Some educators feel they can predict which class years will have problems by judging the positive or negative attitudes of the class leaders during their grade school years.

Rural schools are like one big family. The older "brothers" and "sisters" from the partying group invite younger-age students to their drinking parties. The partying group parties (drinks) at least once or twice a week or more of ten whenever they can find a reason.

Drinking patterns. Some drink to get drunk while others drink moderately and some may abstain. The wilder ones may cruise around looking for more action. Some parties are planned; others get started by a couple carloads of kids and the word spreads. "It is OK to drink, it is not OK to use drugs." It is common to drive to another town to find a party they have heard about.

Young adults who stay in the community don't have sufficient numbers to form their own social group, so they help sponsor parties and help buy the booze. This group of young adults has a vested interest in the teen-age drinking scene. They have been and still are a part of the big "family." High schoolers say, "We like them. We're used to them."

Rural high-school kids claim that pressure to drink at parties is more likely to come from the older group of graduates than from each other. Outdoor parties are more prevalent than house parties in rural communities. However, the singles just out of school may rent a motel room for a party as do the college students home for the summer.

One youth described the attitude of acceptance of drinking as a tradition in her rural community. "It's our senior year; we have to party." The partying started a lot earlier than the senior year, but being a senior gives an additional layer of permission to an already permissive environment.

Head in sand. How do rural teens get away with this fairly constant weekly party scene?

"My parents are never home."

"Some parents don't get too upset, they think it is kinda funny."

"My Dad is an alcoholic. He tells me not to drink. I say, 'Why can't I?'"

"I was too sneaky for them (parents) to catch me."

"I don't think they know what to do so they ignore it."

Each rural community is different. The attitudes may vary. The size of the school or distances from regional towns and cities may vary. What is it like in your community?