A new study found that 6% of 12-14 year old children in the United States are drinking beer, liquor, and other alcoholic beverages. Some are smuggling the alcohol out of a home liquor cabinet while others get it directly from their parent or guardian. In the past month alone, more than US 200,000 kids were given alcohol by a parent or other adult family member, according to a report from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Why parents are supporting these habits isn't clear, but there may be motivation from thoughts such as "at least they're drinking at home and not on the streets" or "at least they're not smoking marijuana." Many researchers suggest locking the liquor cabinet at home and never giving liquor to young children as regular childhood drinking may have serious consequences in adulthood. It was suggested that those who drink alcohol before the age of 15 are 5 times more likely to experience serious problems with alcohol or drug use at or after the age of 21. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, approximately 5,000 children under the age of 21 die each year as a result of underage drinking, including deaths from falls, burns and drowning. Frequent underage binge drinkers are also more likely to do poorly in school and engage in risky sexual and drug-taking behavior.
The tip here is not to scare you with a bunch of statistics! It is to motivate you to talk to your children while understanding the consequences of childhood alcohol abuse (e.g. dangerous to the developing brain; may increase risk of alcohol abuse later in life). Parents need to be open to understanding their child's struggles, guide their children into making appropriate choices, and always be able to explain why certain choices are better than others.
Information Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_108945.html
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