In 2008, almost 40,000 youth ages were admitted to hospitals due to alcohol problems. In most cases, the primary or secondary diagnosis was acute intoxication. One quarter of the patients also had experienced a physical injury due to a traffic accident, being assaulted, or getting into a fight. The mean length of stay was 4.9 days and the mean cost was $19,200 per stay. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site. People who drink regularly also often have problems with school.

Scammers impersonate FTC officials, including Chairman Andrew Ferguson

As a reminder, drinking alcohol while under the age of 21 is not legal and is unsafe. This is when you drink an excessive amount of alcohol at one time. As compared to nondrinkers, teens who drink are more likely to get into a car with a driver who has been drinking, smoke pot, use inhalants, or carry a weapon.

Why Do People Drink Alcohol?

• As a reminder, drinking alcohol while under the age of 21 is not legal and is unsafe.
• Teenagers often rebel against their parents but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen.
• Still, about 1155 persons under 21 die every year in car crashes involving underage drinking.
• Alcoholism is an illness that needs to be treated just like other illnesses.
• As most parents know all too well, talking to a teen is rarely easy.
• Either directly or indirectly, we all feel the effects of the aggressive behavior, property damage, injuries, violence, and deaths that can result from underage drinking.

Many turn to alcohol to relieve stress, cope with the pressures of school, to deal with major life changes, like a move or divorce, or to self-medicate a mental health issue such as anxiety or depression. Talk to your child about what’s going on in their life and any issues that may have prompted their alcohol use. It’s important to remain calm when confronting your teen, and only do so when everyone is sober. Explain your concerns and make it clear that your fears come from a place of love. Your child needs to feel you are supportive and that they can confide in you, since underage drinking is often triggered by other problem areas in their life.

Altered brain development

Another reason your child may drink is because they want to be independent. As your child gains independence, it’s important for you to continue to monitor what’s going on in their lives. Stress (school, social, home) may be another reason your child starts drinking. Teach your child ways to cope with the stress they experience at every stage of their life.

• Peers also will tell your child that alcohol makes them feel good and gives them confidence.
• In 2008, almost 40,000 youth ages were admitted to hospitals due to alcohol problems.
• Parents and trusted adults can play a meaningful role in shaping youth’s attitudes toward drinking.
• That means they have a tendency to get drunk quicker and stay drunk longer than older drinkers.
• You and a friend can develop a signal for when it’s time to leave, for example.

Alcohol harms the brain in teen years –– before and after that, too

This “binge” drinking happens when someone drinks more than four (for women) or five (for men) alcoholic drinks in about two hours. All alcoholic drinks contain alcohol, and all can be just as dangerous. Beer, wine, and liquor all contain different amounts of alcohol.

One major sign of underage drinking that you as a parent can look for is a sudden change in peer group. It may be that their new friends are encouraging this negative behavior. Talking with your child about the dangers of alcohol is important.

Drinking alcohol, as with eating, is a social activity — most people drink with friends. Because alcohol makes people feel less inhibited, they feel more at ease socializing when they drink. For many people, it feels good to be doing what everybody else is doing. But drinking just because everybody else is drinking can lead to problems, especially if people are drinking too much and vehicles are involved. This means they need to drink alcohol in order to function normally, and their drinking causes problems in their lives.

Teens who drink are more likely to be sexually active and to have unsafe, unprotected sex, which can lead to unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The risk of injuring yourself, maybe even fatally, teens drinking alcohol is higher when you’re under the influence too. One half of all drowning deaths among teen guys are related to alcohol use. Use of alcohol greatly increases the chance that a teen will be involved in a car crash, homicide, or suicide. The impression is that drinking is cool, but the nervous system changes that come from drinking alcohol can make people do stupid or embarrassing things, like throwing up or peeing on themselves. Drinking also gives people bad breath, and no one enjoys a hangover.

• The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out.
• According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), about 3.4% of US teenagers ages 12 to 17 have AUD.

If you’re a teen who’s underage drinking

Drinking can damage a student’s ability to study well and get decent grades, as well as affect sports performance (the coordination thing). Alcohol is a depressant, which means it slows the function of the central nervous system. Alcohol actually blocks some of the messages trying to get to the amphetamine addiction treatment brain. This alters a person’s perceptions, emotions, movement, vision, and hearing. Working on developing boundaries and the ability to say no in uncomfortable situations can help your child deal with peer pressure and resist the need to drink. No matter how tall or mature your teen seems, they need boundaries, discipline, and structure as much as ever.