Underage Drinking: What You Should Know

July 11, 2016 by The Partnership
underage drinking

Underage drinking is a serious public health problem in the United States. Alcohol is the most widely misused substance among America’s young people and poses enormous health and safety risks.

During summer break with BBQs, parties, and more free time, it’s an important time to talk with your teens about alcohol.


At what age do kids start drinking?
Believe it or not, the average age for a first drink is 14 years old.

Most underage drinking is in the form of binge drinking.
People from ages 12-20 drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S. Although young people drink less often than adults do, when they drink, they drink more. That is because young people consume more than 90 percent of their alcohol by binge drinking.

Why is alcohol attractive to teens?
As children mature, it is natural for them to assert their independence, seek new challenges, and take new risks. Many teens want to try alcohol, but often do not fully recognize its negative effects on their health and behavior (see below for why it’s dangerous). Other reasons young people drink alcohol deal with peer pressure, to fit in, increased independence, stress, to escape or relax, to feel grown up among peers, to rebel, to relieve boredom or curiosity.

Teens’ Perception of Alcohol Use
As you might expect, teens often have a very different perception of alcohol than parents:

  • Almost half of teens (44%) do not see a “great risk” in drinking 5 or more drinks nearly every day.
  • There is low social disapproval from peers: Only 34 strongly disapprove of “teens your age getting drunk.”
  • It’s easy to get: 77% say alcohol is easily accessible. Also, 53% of current underage drinkers reported family and friends as their source for alcohol they consumed.

Underage Drinking is Dangerous
There is a range of risks and negative consequences, including:

  • Death. Each year, 4,358 young people die in alcohol-related deaths as a result of underage drinking (car crashes, homicides, alcohol poisoning, falls, burns, drowning and suicides).
  • Injury. In 2011, there were approximately 188,000 emergency room visits by people, under the age of 21, for injuries and other conditions related to alcohol.
  • Impaired judgment. Drinking can lead to poor decisions about engaging in risky behavior. This can include drinking and driving, sexual activity (such as unprotected sex) and aggressive or violent behavior.
  • Increased risk of physical and sexual assault. Underage drinkers are more likely to carry out or be the victim of a physical or sexual assault after drinking than others their age who do not drink.
  • Increased risk of alcohol problems later in life. Research shows that people who start drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to meet the criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives.


Other Risk Factors:
Keep in mind these facts about effects on the brain and other drugs, too:

  • Teen brains are more vulnerable to alcohol. Research shows that the teen brain doesn’t fully develop until age 25. Alcohol can alter this development, potentially affecting brain structure and function. This may cause cognitive or learning problems and/or make the brain more prone to alcohol dependence. This is especially risky when people start drinking heavily at young ages.
  • Mixing alcohol and prescription medicine is especially dangerous. It can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, drowsiness, fainting, loss of coordination and risk of internal bleeding, heart problems and difficulties in breathing.
  • Alcohol and marijuana is also a dangerous combination. It significantly impairs judgment. The level of intoxication and secondary effects experienced can be unpredictable.
6 Parenting Practices

"The more exposure to drinking in adolescence and parental acceptance of substance use, the higher the risk of later problems with alcohol and other drugs."

from our 6 Parenting Practices guide


What Parents Can Do
Parents, you hold tremendous influence on whether your child decides to drink or not. Be clear to your teen that you disapprove of underage drinking. Talk often about the dangers of alcohol (see below for tips on talking). Here are other things you can do:

  • If you choose to drink, model responsible drinking behavior. Sometimes we unintentionally send kids the message that we need alcohol to cope with problems or have a good time. After a long, stressful day, instead of pouring yourself a glass of wine or beer, try modeling healthy behavior like deep breathing, exercise or stretching. Find ways to celebrate without alcohol. Research shows that a child with a parent who binge drinks is much more likely to binge drink than a child whose parents do not binge drink.
  • Do not make alcohol available to your child. No exceptions.
  • Be actively involved in your child’s life and have regular conversations with your teen about what’s going on and how she/he is feeling.
  • Get to know your child’s friends – as well as their parents/caregivers.
  • Encourage your teen to participate in healthy and fun activities that do not involve alcohol. If your child seeks new challenges, guide him/her toward healthy risks.
  • Kids ages 11-14 see approximately 1,000 alcohol ads a year. Discuss what you see and help put context around the alcohol messaging your child receives from friends and the media.

Talk Often
The best thing you can do is communicate regularly with your teen. Here’s how:

  • Try to preserve a position of objectivity and openness. If you want to have a productive conversation with your teen, try to keep an open mind and remain curious and calm. That way, your child is more likely to be receptive to what you have to say.
  • Ask open-ended questions. These are questions that elicit more than just a “yes” or “no” response from your teen and will lead to a more engaging conversation.
  • Let your teen know you hear him/her. Use active listening and reflect back what you are hearing from your teen — either verbatim, or just the sentiment. For example: “I’m hearing that you feel overwhelmed, and that you think drinking helps you relax. Is that right?”
  • Discuss the negative effects of alcohol and what that means in terms of mental and physical health, safety and making good decisions. Talk about the long-term effects.
  • If your child’s interested in drinking, ask him/her why – and what might happen if she does. This gets your teen to think about her future, what her boundaries are around drinking – and some of the possible negative consequences (she may be late to practice, do something stupid in front of her friends, feel hungover.) It will also give you insight into what’s important to her.
  • Offer empathy and compassion. Let your child know you understand. The teen years can be tough. Acknowledge that everyone struggles sometimes, but alcohol is not a useful or healthy way to cope with problems. Let your child know that he/she can trust you.
  • Remind your child that you are there for support and guidance – and that it’s important to you that she/he is healthy and happy and makes safe choices.
  • If there is a history of addiction or alcoholism in your family, then your child has a much greater risk of developing a problem. Be aware of this elevated risk and discuss it with your child regularly, as you would with any disease.
  • Is there a problem? Keep an eye on how your child is coping. Does he or she seem withdrawn or uninterested in the usual activities? These are signs that your child might be hiding something or need some guidance.


If You’re Throwing a Party:

  • Supervise all parties to make sure there is no alcohol – and make sure your teens know the rules ahead of time.
  • Set a start and end time for the party.
  • Make sure an adult is at home during the party and regularly checking in.


If Your Teen is Attending a Party:

  • Know where your child will be. Call the parents in advance to verify the occasion and location and that there will be supervision.
  • Indicate your expectations to your child and the parent hosting the party.
  • If the activity seems inappropriate, express concern and keep your child home.
  • Assure your child that he/she can call you to be picked up whenever needed.
  • Use this sample contract as a guide to establish rules about drugs and alcohol.

We’re wishing you and your family a safe and healthy summer.

Risk Factors and Why Teens Use

Ninety percent of addictions start in the teen years. Don’t ignore risk factors and assume your child will be okay, or simply ignore a problem because you think it’s just a passing stage of development. If something appears wrong, seek professional help.

Find Out Why Your Child May Struggle

Sources:

Having Tough Talks Parenting Troubled Young Adults Teens Using Drugs and Alcohol

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