By: TheBestColleges.org

Each year, the NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) conducts a “Monitoring the Future” study. This study queries high school students and even follows them into college to see if the patterns change. This year’s study added a new facet: the abuse of prescription and non-prescription drugs.  It’s hard to believe that so many teens are abusing prescription drugs (Adderall has become quite prevalent–a drug used for ADHD) and non-prescription drugs (Robotussin leads the list).

Of course, alcohol weighs heavily in the study:

Alcohol use remains extremely widespread among today’s teenagers. Nearly three quarters of students (72%) have consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of high school, and more than one third (37%) have done so by 8th grade. In fact, more than half (57%) of 12th graders and one sixth (17%) of 8th graders in 2009 report having been drunk at least once in their life.

The study shows that teens start early abusing substances and carry the trend on into college. I can’t stress enough the importance of talking with your kids early about the dangers of this type of behavior. If you don’t believe your child will drink in college, you’re fooling yourself. Just read the last blog post by a Virginia Tech student and learn how he got sucked into the party scene on campus.

I encourage every parent to read the overview of the study: Monitoring the Future. A knowledgeable parent is a prepared parent.

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This American Life did an interesting series of podcasts about the college drinking culture. As a parent, it was an eye opener. Don’t get me wrong, I know that both my kids drank in college. I was not naive to think they would avoid alcohol for four years. But listening to this podcast definitely raises some serious questions regarding college drinking and its affect on our young college students.

Here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself before your teen heads off to college:

1. Would you let your teen go to the #1 Party School (or even one that was ranked)?
2. How concerned are you about college binge drinking?
3. Do you think drinking is a rite of passage for college students?
4. How can you discourage your teen from overindulging in alcohol while in college?
5. Considering that a large portion of college drinking happens at frat parties, would you discourage involvement in Greek life?
6. Does your daughter understand that drinking often leads to hooking up that she might regret later?
7. Would drinking and the affect it has on college students make you think twice about allowing them to live in a dorm or even leave home for college?
8. How can you impress the importance of a college education when the college culture revolves around beer bongs, frat parties, and binge drinking?
9. Knowing that drinking causes negative consequences, how can you teach your teen to make the right choices before they are on their own and being influenced by their peers?
10. Is the value of a college education devalued because of the college drinking culture?

Head over to This American Life where you can stream the broadcast for free or download it for $.99. The interviews cover conversations with Penn State students, people in the surrounding neighborhood, officers, and establishments in the area. You will hear students talk about their drinking escapades and girls talking about the behavior drinking induces. You will listen to guys talk about inducing a drunken state in the hopes of getting the girl into bed.

It’s eye-opening and a bit disturbing. But, as a parent, you need to know about the culture so you can help prepare your teen. You should talk about drinking and prepare them for the inevitable onslaught of peer pressure to drink. If your teen is headed off to college in the fall, listen to this podcast with them and use it to open the discussion.