Also called: Also called: Teenage drinking
It is possible to drink legally and safely – when you're over 21. But if you're under 21, or if you drink too much at any age, alcohol can be especially risky.
Many kids begin drinking as early as middle school or even sooner. This is dangerous. Kids who drink are more likely to be victims of violent crime and sexual assault. They are more likely to have serious problems in school. They are more likely to be involved in drinking-related traffic crashes. They are also more likely to develop problems with alcohol later in life.
Kids often begin drinking to look "cool" or fit in with their peers. Parents can do many things to help their kids avoid alcohol problems. Get help for your child if you suspect a drinking problem.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
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Alcohol(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/alcohol.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/teen/en_espanol/drogas/alcohol_esp.html
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Cool Spot: Info on Alcohol and Resisting Peer Pressure
(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.thecoolspot.gov/
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Make a Difference: Talk to Your Child about Alcohol(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/MakeADiff_HTML/makediff.htm
Also available in Spanish http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/MakeADiff_SpanHTML/SpanDiff.pdf
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Alcohol Alert: Underage Drinking: Why Do Adolescents Drink, What Are the Risks, and How Can Underage Drinking Be Prevented?(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm
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Alcohol Alert: Young Adult Drinking(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa68/aa68.htm
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Alcohol and Children
(National Center for Farmworker Health) - Links to PDF - http://www.ncfh.org/pdfs/BilingualEd/PDF15.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.ncfh.org/pdfs/BilingualEd/PDF16.pdf - College Students and Alcohol Abuse (American Psychiatric Association) - Links to PDF - http://healthyminds.org/Document-Library/Brochure-Library/College-Students-and-Alcohol-Abuse.aspx
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Drinking: It Can Spin Your World Around: Facts for Teens(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/addictions/alcohol/273.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/addictions/alcohol/273.printerview.html
- Binge Drinking May Damage Teens' Brains(04/22/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83244.html
- Parents Worry That 'Alcopops' Encourage Teen Drinking(04/07/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82629.html
- Typical Binge Drinker Is Young White Male(04/02/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82469.html
- More News on Underage Drinking http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_u.html#underagedrinking
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Message to Teenagers...How to Tell When Drinking Is Becoming a Problem(Alcoholics Anonymous) - Links to PDF - http://www.aa.org/pdf/products/f-9_aMessagetoTeenagers1.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.aa.org/pdf/products/sf-9_aMessagetoTeenagers1.pdf
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What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - Large PDF file - http://www.kap.samhsa.gov/products/brochures/pdfs/WhatIsTx.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://kap.samhsa.gov/mli/docs/spanish/WhatIsTx-Spanish.pdf
- When Your Child Needs Substance Abuse Treatment(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://www.family.samhsa.gov/get/treatment.aspx
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College Drinking - Changing the Culture(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/
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Discussing Drinking: A Back-to-School Conversation You Need to Have(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2006/September/docs/01features_01.htm
- Kids and Alcohol(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/alcohol.html
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Parents - Spring Break Is Another Important Time to Discuss College Drinking(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - Links to PDF - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/NIAAASpringBreakFactSheet2007.pdf
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Parents: Help Your Teens Party Right at Graduation(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/GraduationFacts/Graduation_Fact_Sheet.html
- Start Talking Before They Start Drinking: A Family Guide(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://www.family.samhsa.gov/stop/talk.aspx
- Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: A Guide to Action for Families(Surgeon General) - Large PDF file - http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/FamilyGuide.pdf
- Too Smart to Start Families(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/families/default.aspx
- Children of Alcoholics(American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) - http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?name=Children+Of+Alcoholics§ion=Facts+for+Families
- Coping with an Alcoholic Parent(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/families/coping_alcoholic.html
- Answering Questions about Alcohol(Federal Trade Commission) - http://www.dontserveteens.gov/questions.html
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D'cisions: Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link
(National Institute on Drug Abuse) - http://hiv.drugabuse.gov/english/message/webisodes.html
- Does Your Mom or Dad Drink Too Much?(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://csat.samhsa.gov/NACOA/feelssobad.aspx
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Drugged Driving(National Institute on Drug Abuse) - http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/driving.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/driving-Sp.html
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Facts about Alcohol Poisoning(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/OtherAlcoholInformation/factsAboutAlcoholPoisoning.aspx
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What Parents Need to Know about College Drinking(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/NIAAACollegeMaterials/parentBrochure.aspx
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Alcohol Calorie Calculator(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/CollegeStudents/calculator/alcoholcalc.aspx
- How Are Alcohol and Drugs Affecting Your Life? A Self-Test for Teenagers(National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence) - http://www.ncadd.org/facts/youth1.html
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D'cisions: Drugs + HIV, Learn the Link(National Institute on Drug Abuse) - http://hiv.drugabuse.gov/english/message/webisodes.html
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Interactive Body(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/CollegeStudents/interactiveBody.aspx
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Alcohol and Youth(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/term=alcohol+%5BCONDITION%5D+AND+(adolescent+OR+teen)+%5BALL-FIELDS%5D
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Research Findings on College Drinking and the Minimum Legal Drinking Age(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/AboutNIAAA/NIAAASponsoredPrograms/CollegeDrinkingMLDA.htm
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Underage Drinking(National Institutes of Health) - Links to PDF - http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/UnderageDrinking.pdf
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Reducing adolescents' exposure to alcohol advertising and promotion during televised... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19351947&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Health of Roma children in Vilnius and Ventspils. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19289906&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Alcohol-branded merchandise and its association with drinking attitudes and outcomes... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19255387&tool=MedlinePlus
- Underage Drinking -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(alcohol+drinking[majr]+OR+alcohol-related+disorders[majr]+NOT+fetal+alcohol+syndrome[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+(adolescent[mh]+OR+child[mh]+NOT+adult[mh])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+news[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
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Getting Help(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/links/help.aspx
- Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/
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Alcoholics Anonymous - http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/
Also available in Spanish http://www.aa.org/sp_index.cfm?Media=PlayFlash
- Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free - http://www.alcoholfreechildren.org/
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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/
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College Alcohol Policies(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/policies/
- Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Use Facts(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k7/youthFacts/youth.htm
- Exposure to Substance Use Prevention Messages and Substance Use among Adolescents: 2002 to 2007(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/prevention/prevention.htm
- Parent Awareness of Youth Use of Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Marijuana(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/parents/parents.htm
- Participation in Self-Help Groups for Alcohol and Illicit Drug Use: 2006 and 2007(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/selfHelp/selfHelp.htm
- Quick Stats: Underage Drinking(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/quickstats/underage_drinking.htm
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Statistical Snapshot of College Drinking(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/AboutNIAAA/NIAAASponsoredPrograms/StatisticalSnapshotCollegeDrinking.htm
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Statistical Snapshot of Underage Drinking(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/AboutNIAAA/NIAAASponsoredPrograms/StatisticalSnapshotUnderageDrinking.htm
- Underage Alcohol Use: Where Do Young People Drink?(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://download.ncadi.samhsa.gov/prevline/pdfs/NSDUH08-0828.pdf
- Underage Alcohol Use: Where Do Young People Get Alcohol?(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/underageGetAlc/underageGetAlc.htm
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Underage Drinking and Related Risk Behaviors among Youth(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Resources/DatabaseResources/QuickFacts/Youth/default.htm
- Underage Drinking Reports(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/underage.cfm
- Alcohol(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/body/alcohol.html
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What Kids Say about: Drinking Alcohol(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/poll_alcohol.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/sano/poll_alcohol_esp.html
- Binge Drinking(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/binge_drink.html
- Dealing with Addiction(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/addictions.html
- I Think I May Have a Drinking/Drug Problem. What Should I Do?(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/drinking_drug_problem.html
- Too Smart to Start Tweens(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) - http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/tweens/default.aspx
- Alcohol - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcohol.html
- Alcoholism - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcoholism.html
- Children and Teenagers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childrenandteenagers.html
- Substance Abuse Problems - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/substanceabuseproblems.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Underage Drinking is the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/