CNN
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If you don’t want your children to drink, start by looking at your own drinking habits.
That’s because young people whose parents drink regularly or binge drink are four times more likely to drink alcohol themselves. Research published on September 14th Published in Adolescent Health Journal.
According to the study, binge drinking is defined as drinking at least four drinks for women and five or more drinks for men at one time.
“This study provides further evidence that binge drinking is harmful not only to the drinker, but also to those around them, increasing the risk that teenagers will drink,” said the study’s senior author. said Dr. Marissa Esser, who led the study. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Alcohol Program.
Families should be mindful of their teens’ drinking, as underage drinking can cause health and brain development problems, and the age at which drinking begins is linked to the risk of addiction. said Dr. Daniel Dick, director of the Rutgers Center for Addiction Research. Piscataway, New Jersey. She was not involved in the study.
Dick, who is also a professor of psychiatry at Rutgers University’s Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, said the link between parent and teen drinking is not surprising, but it’s an important reminder.
“For me, that’s the most important part to come out of this. It’s the other part.” “It reminds parents of the role we can play in influencing drug use in our children,” she added.
Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of adolescent and young adult medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, believes the association may be due to her role as a model, the ease of access to alcohol in the home, or He said multiple things could be at play, including parents’ tolerance of drinking. Boston. He was not involved in the study.
But strong genetic factors may also be at play, Dick said.
“We also know that drug use and drug use problems are strongly genetically influenced,” Dick said. “About 50% of the differences in alcohol consumption among children are due to genetic differences, especially as they move through adolescence and into young adulthood.”
Mr Dick said the age when children start drinking should be as late as possible.
Data shows that the more teenagers start drinking, the more likely they are to develop problem drinking and addiction, she added.
Dick said more than 45% of children who start drinking under the age of 13 develop an alcohol problem. “On the other hand, less than 10% of children who delay age 21 develop an alcohol use disorder.”
Hadland said families need to reinforce the message to teens that drinking is not as safe as it is for adults and that they don’t want their children to drink.
But teens who are experimenting with alcohol should feel comfortable talking to their parents or guardians about alcohol, so it’s important to come from a place of communication rather than punitiveness, she said. he added.
Since teenagers drink alcohol, wouldn’t it be better to teach them how to drink safely?
In fact, Dick said, the data shows that this approach is not a very good plan.
“We actually know that[teens who drink at home]are more likely to drink with friends in irresponsible and dangerous ways,” she said. And she says it’s important not to normalize what is becoming unusual for teens.
While adult binge drinking rates may be high, teen drinking rates have been declining over the past few decades, she says.
“Young people are making healthier choices than when we were that age,” Dick added.
Even if you don’t have a problem with alcohol, cutting down on alcohol can be difficult.
Perhaps it’s difficult because you’re used to having a glass of wine to calm down after a long day, or maybe it’s because you’re at a party with friends and it feels weird not to have a cocktail. , said journalist Rosamund Dean, author of “.Mindful drinking: How drinking less can change your life. ”
But if you want to cut down on your drinking, there are effective ways to do it, she says.
A good place to start, Dick said, is to track how many days a week you drink alcohol and how much you consume.
Next, Dean recommends communicating with your loved ones about your goals to avoid being offered drinks at your next gathering.
She found sober days important in her journey because she said it was much easier to not drink at all than to cut back on alcohol.
Some people choose to give up alcohol for a short period of time due to challenges such as: sober october To reevaluate your relationship with alcohol.
Dean quickly learned that he could have a night out, celebrate, travel, and toast at a wedding without resorting to alcoholic beverages.
And if drinking is part of your routine, try alternatives, whether it’s a completely different activity or simply making a non-alcoholic drink.
“I think it’s all about having nice glassware and lemon slices and actually making it,” she said. “Non-alcoholic drinks can create a similar mood, but then you realize that it wasn’t actually the alcohol that made you feel good in that moment.”
