A recent issue of the journal Pediatrics reinforced research we have seen before. In a review of interviews and re-interviews of almost 40,000 people the evidence powerfully suggests several things.
"The younger respondents were when they started drinking, the greater the likelihood that, (in the intervening 2-3 years) between the 2 surveys, they
- experienced alcohol dependence/abuse,
- drank 5 drinks per occasion at least weekly
- drove under the influence of alcohol,
- and placed themselves in situations after drinking where they could be hurt."
Previous research published in JAMA has also suggested that those who begin drinking under the age of 21 "were significantly more likely to have been injured while under the influence of alcohol."
Drinking and driving are not the only risks for younger people. It's not safe to keep teens home and drinking in the basement after collecting the keys. Reminding about "Designated Drivers" does not protect them from potentially serious injury.
Make sure that parents you know are aware of the risks. At baseball and soccer games, at school plays and PTA meetings, at recitals and beside the swimming pool, remind your friends that there's no good reason to believe that "kids will be kids" and that high school drinking is "not so bad."
The more parents know this, the more our kids will be reinforced in our messages.
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