Underage drinking is a serious public health problem in America. Drinking is associated with the leading causes of death among young people, including car crashes, murder, and suicide. Research suggests that young teens who use alcohol are much more likely to become addicted to alcohol and other drugs later in life. To raise a national awareness of this problem, the theme for National Alcohol Awareness Month 2004 is “Save a Life—End Underage Drinking.”

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), sponsor of National Alcohol Awareness Month, provides the following tips for parents to encourage a healthy respect for alcohol among their children:

• Teach your child that abstinence from alcohol is an acceptable lifelong decision and that they have a right to stand up for a safe academic environment.

• Teach your child that drinking can be risky and to intervene when they see that their classmates are in trouble.

• If your child is of legal age to drink (21 in all states), explain to them how to use alcohol moderately (no more than two drinks per day for men, no more than one for women) and appropriately (as a complement to a meal and at social gatherings or during family celebrations).

• If you drink, be sure to set an ongoing healthy example regarding adult alcohol use and never brag about your use of alcohol or other drugs during your own college years.

• Support alcohol-free extracurricular activities, sporting events, and dances for students in your schools and community.

• Do not serve alcohol to minors in your home.

• When helping your children to select an appropriate college, be willing to question officials about campus alcohol policies. The “Best Colleges,” an annual guide published by the Princeton Review, groups schools by categories ("Lots of beer," "Lots of hard liquor," "Major frat and sorority scene" and "Stone-cold sober schools") that provide useful information.

• When your children go to college, set clear and realistic expectations regarding academic performance, and continue to be as interested and involved in their lives as you were when they were in high school.

NCADD provides education, information, help, referrals, and hope to the public on dealing with alcohol and other drug dependence programs. For more information and referral to an NCADD affiliate, call the NCADD toll-free Hope Line at 800-NCA-CALL (622-2255).

Source: National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, www.ncadd.org.