Survey: Teens want parents' party stories

CENTER CITY, Minn., Oct. 9 (UPI) -- A prominent Minnesota addiction treatment center says survey results indicate teens may benefit from learning about their parents' past drug and alcohol use.

The Hazelden Foundation, a treatment with headquarters in Center City, Minn., that also has facilities in Illinois, New York and Oregon, said on its Web site that its "Four Generations Overcoming Addiction" survey focused on hundreds of teens and parents with the goal of improving inter-generational communication.

Of the teens surveyed, 63 percent said they would be more responsible regarding their alcohol and drug use if their parents' were open about their own substance use.

The survey found 64 percent of the teens admitted their parents had already detailed their past alcohol and drug usage. Of those teens, 95 percent applauded their parents' honesty on the matter.

Hazelden said among the parents surveyed, 63 percent said when they were teens, their own parents did not share details regarding their alcohol and drug use.

Ninety percent of parents and teens feel parents should be role models, though half of parents admitted to getting high or intoxicated when younger and a quarter of the teens said they had seen their parents drunk or high.

The number surveyed, margin of error and survey dates were not given.

Dr. Marvin Seppala, the chief medical officer for Hazelden who overcame his own addition, said it's not enough for parents to "just say no" and pretend they never used drugs or alcohol as youths.

"As a father who is open with my kids about my own recovery from addiction, I know first-hand that parents have an opportunity to be real 'role models' -- but talking candidly about the consequences of drinking and using drugs, and the benefits of treatment and recovery," Seppala said.