Underage Drinking: Start Talking Before They Start Drinking
Topics: Teen Years (13-19), Teen Alcohol and Substance Use, more...
You Are the Most Powerful Influence on Your Child’s Behavior
Underage drinking can have serious consequences. You can protect your children from the risks associated with drinking by maintaining open communication and expressing a clear, consistent message about alcohol. Building a close relationship with your kids will encourage them to come to you for help in making decisions that impact their health and well-being. This guide provides facts and practical advice on how to talk with your children about underage drinking. It helps you create household rules to support your values.
Society gives children mixed messages about alcohol. Make sure that your children get their information from the best resource available
What You Need to Know
Underage DrinkingMany kids start drinking in middle school.1 > One out of every two 8th graders has tried alcohol.2 |
Alcohol and JudgementThe teenage brain is still developing. Alcohol can impair the parts of the brain that control the following:7 > Motor coordination. This includes the ability to walk, drive and process information. |
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RisksAlcohol use among youth is strongly correlated with VIOLENCE > Children who start drinking before age 15 are 12 times more likely to be injured while under the influence of alcohol and 10 times more likely to be in a fight after drinking, compared with those who wait until they are 21.11 SEXUAL ACTIVITY > Alcohol use by teens is a strong predictor of both sexual activity and unprotected sex.12 |
SCHOOL > Teens who use alcohol have higher rates of academic problems and poor performance than non-drinkers.14 ILLICIT DRUG USE > More than 67% of young people who start drinking before the age of 15 will try an illicit drug. Children who drink are 7.5 times more likely to use any illicit drug, more than 22 times more likely to use marijuana, and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than children who never drink.16 DRIVING > When young people drink and get into a car, they tend to make poor decisions that impact their safety.17 |
Family Influence“What parents may not realize is that children say that parental disapproval of underage drinking is the key reason they have chosen not to drink.” Charles Curie, SAMHSA Administrator
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You have more influence over your children than you may realize. Kids spend a lot of time with friends, television, music and magazines. But they are also tuned in to you. Your words and actions impact them in many ways every day. >Research studies indicate that children are less likely to drink when their parents are involved in their lives and when they and their parents report feeling close to each other.20 For adults who choose to drink, moderation is defined as no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men.23 |
What You Need to Say
Alcohol and Underage Drinking
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Your children need information to make good decisions. Don’t wait until a problem arises to talk to them about drinking alcohol. Be sure to tell your child: THE BODY24 |
PEERS THE LAW |
Reprinted with the permission of the National Mental Health Information Center.
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