Why is Adolescent Drinking Declining?

There has been a notable decline in adolescent drinking in developed nations over the past two decades. Understanding the reasons behind this positive downward trend will help professionals support the continuation of this decline into the future.

A recent systematic review, published in the Addiction Research & Theory, has examined potential factors that have contributed to fewer adolescents consuming alcohol.

The researchers proposed the following potential explanations for declines in youth drinking:

• Changing social norms
• Substitution with other substances
• Changes in parental practices
• Demographic changes
• Changes in leisure time and increased use of digital technology
• Changes in alcohol policy and preventive interventions
• Change in exposure to alcohol advertising
• Broader shifts in adolescent lifestyles
• Economic changes

Following a systematic elimination procedure, the researchers analysed 14 papers as part of the review.

Results from the study found that:

• There was strong evidence to suggest that the decline could be partly explained by parents adopting different practices- these changes included reducing supply and increased monitoring.
• There was limited evidence and mixed results regarding the impact of alcohol policies in driving the decline in adolescent drinking
• There seemed to be little evidence to suggest that the financial crisis in 2007–08 influenced the decline in adolescent drinking.
• There was no evidence to support drug substitution as a reason for declines in adolescent drinking.

Overall, the researchers concluded that changing parenting practices seemed to be the factor that has been causing the decrease in alcohol consumption amongst adolescents. However, the authors admitted that "there is a lack of robust evidence for any of the explanations studied so far" and further research is required in order to identify the relationship between factors influencing adolescent drinking behaviour.