Talking to your kids about the dangers of underage drinking before age 10 is crucial, according to a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

However, most parents are waiting too long to talk to their kids about alcohol. One-third of parents wait until their children are 14 to 19 years old, already in high school, to start talking about alcohol, according to a survey released by Mothers Against Drunk Drinking and Nationwide Insurance.

The AAP report states that children start to think positively about alcohol between ages 9 and 13, with popular media being a heavy influence. Exposure to alcohol advertising and marketing can heavily influence if, and how much, young people drink, according to the AAP report.

Alcohol remains the No. 1 drug portrayed on American television with one drinking scene shown every 22 minutes. More than one-third of the drinking scenes are humorous, and negative consequences are only shown 23 percent of the time, according to a 2010 American Academy of Pediatrics report.

In addition to the influence of popular media, the average age of first use of alcohol also reinforces the need to talk to kids about the consequences of underage drinking at an early age.

Nationally, the average age of first use of alcohol is 16 years old, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In East Texas, the average age of first use of alcohol is 12.9 years old, according to the 2014 Texas School Survey.

Disruption of brain development, increased risk of alcohol dependence, poor academic performance, risky sexual behavior and death are just a few of the consequences of underage drinking. In addition, underage drinking cost the state of Texas $5.5 billion in 2013. These costs include medical care, work loss, criminal justice and pain and suffering associated with multiple problems resulting from the use of alcohol by youth. This translates to $3.50 per drink consumed by underage drinkers, according to the Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention.

The good news is that 80 percent of teenagers say their parents are the biggest influence on whether they decide to drink alcohol or not, according to the Journal of Adolescent Health.

The key to talking about underage drinking is for parents to be educated on the consequences of underage drinking and to start the conversation early and stick with it. It shouldn’t be a one-time talk. It needs to be an ongoing conversation throughout adolescence.

Once the conversation has been started, parents can look for casual ways to bring it up. For example, if a family is watching a movie and an unhealthy drinking behavior is shown, the parents can use that as a way to informally bring it up and explain why how that drinking was unhealthy.

Another way to bring it up is for parents to ask their kids what they hear about alcohol at school. Even if a kid chooses to wait until 21 to try alcohol, chances are they will be exposed to it.

We should empower our kids with the knowledge of how dangerous underage drinking is so they’ll have the confidence to say no when placed in a situation where alcohol is available.

The nonprofit I work for has three coalitions that work to make changes at the environmental level to decrease the chances of underage drinking, but we can’t do it alone. Everyone has a role to play in preventing underage drinking. For parents, that means talking to their kids about the dangers of alcohol before age 10 and keeping the conversation going.

For more information about the consequences of underage drinking and tips on talking to kids about alcohol, go to www.nextstepcommu nitysolutions.com.

 

Lauren Barnes is Media and Community

Relations Coordinator for Next Step

Community Solutions.