Guest Author - Shanita Alexander

More than 67 percent of young people who start drinking before the age of 15 will try an illicit drug. Children who drink are 7.5 times more likely to use any illicit drug, more than 22 times more likely to use marijuana and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than children who never drink.

Alcohol use among children is strongly correlated with violence, poor academic performance and other harmful behaviors. Education alone will not keep you from using alcohol because there are constant pressures and opportunities to drink.

Further, the areas of the brain that encourage impulsivity and risk-taking develop early in a teen, while the areas that improve self-control don’t develop until the very late teens or early twenties. Your parents must stay actively involved in bonding with you as a teen, setting boundaries and monitoring to help you remain alcohol-free.

Children who start drinking before age 15 are 12 times more likely to be injured while under the influence of alcohol and 10 times more likely to be in a fight after drinking, compared with those who wait to drink until they are 21. Teens who use alcohol have higher rates of academic problems and poor performance than non-drinkers. Among eighth-graders, higher truancy rates are associated with greater rates of alcohol use. Alcohol use by teens is a strong predictor of unprotected sexual activity and unwanted sexual advances. Auto crashes are the number one killer of teens and more than one third of teen traffic deaths are alcohol-related.

Most kids have not yet developed the “cut-off” switch that makes them go to sleep or pass out from too much drinking. They can consume dangerous amounts of alcohol before they realize it’s too late. This can result in alcohol poisoning, which can cause difficulty breathing, unconsciousness and death. Binge drinking can and does kill — killing as many young people as all other drugs combined. If a young person ever passes out from drinking, 911 should be called for immediate medical attention.

Even though your family may be a "pain in the butt" to you sometimes, research shows teenagers who regularly eat as a family (5-7 times per week) are 33 percent less likely to use alcohol. And remember, possessing, purchasing or drinking alcohol before age 21 is illegal. It is also illegal for anyone to
furnish or supply alcohol to a minor — punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and 12 months in jail.