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Dr. Kim Mulvihill ReportingA new anti-drinking campaign targets teenage girls who drink and the parents who allow it.
Teenage girls drink much more than their mothers think. In a survey conducted by the Century Council, a group of distillers against underage drinking, one in seven teen girls admitted drinking, but only one in 20 mothers suspected it.
Jane Eisner, 15-years-old: "You're not gonna go to a party and be like, 'My mom said don't drink.' You're gonna go to a party and say, 'My mom said 'Don't drink' because of this, this and this.' And I agree with that because I can see it. I understand why that makes sense."
15-year-old Jane Eisner says parents need to do a better job explaining why underage drinking is bad, but nearly half the mothers surveyed said it's okay for their teenage daughters to drink. The council's new campaign urges mothers to get the facts, then talk to their girls as young as 11-years old.
Susan Molinari, The Century Council: "We want to begin the conversation when they're still listening, and you have to have it a lot. One time will NOT do it."
Jane Eisner's mother admits it's not an easy conversation to have.
Sarah Eisner, Jane's mother: "It is uncomfortable. And then, what happens if you ask and you find out stuff you don't want to know? What are you going to do with that?"
The council is focusing on girls because research shows while the national drinking rate has dropped considerably, it's dropping more slowly among teenage girls. Research also shows there's a physiological difference when girls and boys drink. Even when age, weight and eating habits are the same, alcohol lingers in female bodies longer, prolonging its effects.
