(NAPSA)—Underage drinking is a + Show you're a good source of significant concern and public health information about alcohol. challenge nationwide contributing You want your child to be making to a wide range ofcostly health and informed decisions about drinking, social problems. According to the NationalInstitute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the economic burden of with reliable information about its dangers. You don't want yourchild to be learning aboutalcoholfrom friends, the internet, or the media—you want to establish yourself as a trustworthy sourceofinformation. alcohol misuse in the U.S.is estimated at $249 billion, with three-quarters of those costs coming from bingedrinking. Almost $24.3 billion (about 10 percent) Show you're paying attention Momsand dadsare the biggest in- and+ you'll notice ifyour child drinks. fluence whenit comes to underage You wantto you're keeping an they hold the keyto help- eye on yourchild,show to underage drinking, much ofit due to drinking, because young people ing kids make good decisions and premature mortality of underage youth. are morelikely to drinkif they think no Annually, alcohol is a factor in the steer away from alcoholus one will notice. There are many subtle ofthe total $249billion economiccost of excessive alcohol consumptionis related deaths of approximately 4,300 youthsin the United States, shortening theirlives by an average of60years. Lastyear, nearly 20 percentof people between the ages of 12 and 20 reported drinking alcohol. In fact, alcohol continues to be the most widely used substance among America’ youth, and a higher proportion use alcohol than use tobacco, marijuana, or other drugs according to Monitoring the Future. While teens tend to drink less frequently than adults, 4.5 million youngpeople drink larger quantities or binge drink, having five or more drinks males, and four or more drinks for and are extreme, it could mean there's alcoholuse involved, andparents should intervene with their children and seek professional help through the child’s school or contact the county health department. These signs are mood changeslike a quick temper, irritability and defensiveness; schoolproblemssuch as poor attendance, low grades and/ or recentdisciplinary action; switching friends and a reluctance to introduce the new friends; and finding alcoholin a child’s room or backpack or smelling alcoholontheir breath. The goodnewsis there are a number of things parents can proactively do to help children stay alcohol-free. females during a single occasion. + Showyou disapprove ofunderage While underage drinking is a source ofconcern,parents can influence whether drinking. theirchild decidesto drink ornot. Momsand dads may wantto start by knowing the risks and signs ofunderage drinking. Teenage drinkers are more proneto havelegalissues andparticipate in unsafe sexual behaviors. They are morelikely to have memory problems and changes in brain developmentthat cause life-long effects. There's also an increased risk for using other drugs, hurting themselves or someoneelse and developing an Alcohol UseDisorder. There are signs that parents should recognize asit mightindicate their child is drinking. If parents notice several of these signs orif they occur suddenly More than 80% of youngpeople ages 10-18 say their parents are the leading influence on their decision to drink or not drink. So theyreally are listening, andit’s important that you senda clear and strong message. waysto do this withoutprying. + Build your child’s skills and strategies for avoiding underage drinking. Even if your child doesn't want to drink, peer pressureis a powerful thing. It could be tempting to drink just to avoid looking uncool. To prepare your child toresist peer pressure, you'll need to build skills and practice them. Keep it low-key. Don't worry, you don't haveto get everything across in one talk. Many small talks are better. ‘There arefree toolsavailable to help parents have meaningful conversations with their kids and learn more about howto reduce the chancesthat children start drinking. “Talk. They Hear You” is a resource from SAMHSA that can help parents get started. Parents, caregivers and educators can download materials by visiting https://www. samhsa.gov/underage-drinking, “Talk. They Hear You? also has accessible videos that demonstrate the importance + Show youcare aboutyourchild’s of discussing alcohol use with your happinessandwell-being. children.These videos serve as examples Young people are morelikelyto listen howa parent can approach their child whenthey know you're on their side. Try aboutalcohol use and can be foundat to reinforce why you don't want your child to drink—notjust because you say so, but because you want your child to be happy andsafe. The conversation will go a lot better if you're working with, and notagainst, your child. http://bit.ly/2LuvTOF. Moms and dads are the biggest influence when it comes to underage drinking,they hold the key to helping kids make good decisions and steer away from alcoholuse.
