Ask the Pediatrician: Just how dangerous is underage drinking?

With so many other issues affecting young people right now, teen alcohol use may not seem like that big of a deal. You might recall your own early experiences and figure that some drinking can be expected. But when we look at alcohol’s effect on a child’s developing brain, the risks become clearer.

It’s helpful to realize that the human brain continues to grow and develop until age 25. Frequent alcohol use can have a negative impact on regions of the brain that handle learning, memory and speech, as well as visual and spatial thinking.

Alcohol’s impact on the brain — not to mention its immediate effects on everyday functioning — may explain why kids who drink usually have serious difficulties in school. Young people who admit to binge drinking are 4 to 6 times more likely than nondrinkers to skip classes. High-schoolers who drink regularly are 5 times more likely to drop out. Drinking is related to 40% of all academic problems in college — and 28% of kids who leave before getting their degrees cite problem drinking as one cause.

Because it changes the way people think and act, alcohol is also closely related to behaviors that can seriously harm your child or cause harm to others. For example, alcohol use in young people can increase their chances of engaging in unprotected sex, exposing them to sexually transmitted diseases and risks for unwanted pregnancies. Incidents of physical and sexual violence often involve young people who are under the influence of alcohol. Unintentional injury-related deaths, especially car accidents, frequently involve drunk drivers.

Young people who drink also face higher risks of depression and suicide.

Several factors might motivate kids and teens to drink, including peer pressure, stress, environment, family history, or bias and discrimination.

But there’s good news here. Kids care very much about what their parents think — and are much more open to talking about alcohol use than you might imagine. In fact, research shows that parents are the No. 1 reason kids decide not to drink. This is just one reason the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends you talk to your child early and often about underage drinking.

Here are suggestions for starting a meaningful and supportive conversation with your child:

— Start talking about alcohol with your child when they are around 9 years old. This gives you the opportunity to help shape your child’s thoughts and actions around alcohol as they move toward adolescence.

— Bring the subject up in a relaxed, nonjudgmental way. Avoid condemning all people who drink, which might confuse your child. Instead, ask what thoughts they have about alcohol. Do their friends talk about it? Do they have any feelings about the way adults around them use alcohol? Try to listen as much as you talk, especially with teens.

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