How Does Your Drinking Affect Your Teens?

I drink. Not heavily but I do drink a glass of wine and sometimes two most nights. Sometimes I have a glass of wine at dinner and don't eat anything. My kids' dad drinks a bottle of wine each night. He has throughout their entire childhood. When we were together, we used to open a bottle and I'd have a glass, want another half of one later on, and it would be gone.

I have friends who drink - heavily in front of their kids. They have friends over and they get drunk. Mostly not on weeknights but on weekends a lot of beer and other alcohol is consumed. Some of these friends have problems with alcohol - at least I think they do. A number of them get in the car and drive home afterwards.

When we were teens everyone drank heavily, drove and didn't worry about what their kids saw. My research for the AAAS book Delaying that First Drink: A Parents' Guide found that parents' drinking matters. And we're not just talking about when they are teens and you're talking to them and monitoring their behavior. It starts when they are really small - old enough to know what alcohol is.

My children's father once took our five year-old son to a local wine store and the proprietor asked him what his favorite wine was. My son said Chardonnay. Don't kid yourself, they are paying attention.

The experts say, that your best bet is not having alcohol in your home or drinking in front of your kids. Ask a parent if they're going to do that and they'll just start laughing. Parenting sometimes requires a glass of wine, plus alcohol is legal. Not everyone is a yogi or can vegetate out in front of a football game. So parents do drink. Unless of course there is alcoholism in the family and they are scared of what could happen.

So what can you do to make sure your drinking doesn't encourage your teen to do so? This is what I've found:

• Don't drink heavily in front of your kids
• Keep minimal alcohol in the house and if you keep some, check it frequently. Wine is better than beer because kids don't drink it and you know it's missing. Beer will go to a party a lot faster than a sauvignon blanc.
• Never, ever drink more than a glass or at most two if you're a man of alcohol and drive your kids anywhere. You may feel sober, but chances are you're not. You're also likely to be legally drunk if you get stopped. Is it worth it? I don't think so.
• If you have friends that drink excessively get new friends or stop taking your kids to their home. Go when you have a babysitter and they don't have to see it. Even if you are not drinking much, your being there is tacit approval for their drinking. It sends the wrong message.
• Don't be afraid to let your kids taste alcohol as they get towards their teenage years. If you forbid something, it becomes more seductive. Most of the time, kids don't like the taste of alcohol, that's why they drink beer. There's nothing wrong with letting them see that they don't like it in the privacy of your own home.

Anyone else have suggestions?

Forget Four Locos - Here's the Newest Way Manufacturers Try to Get our Teens Drunk

Spiked whipped cream? This is not a joke.

One of the less known facts about the science of how alcohol affects teen bodies is that kids prefer sweeter drinks that mask the taste of alcohol. The sugar in those drinks mixed with the alcohol can be a deadly combination. Liquor manufacturers have recently launched a new product that teens will love - and can put on top of the sweeter drinks to make them even more alcoholic. Read on. 

Just as products that combine alcohol and caffeine like Four Locos are coming off the market, a new, sweeter with a cherry on top version is starting to appear on supermarket shelves. Called Whipped Lightning (pardon me if I skip the trademark symbol), it's the world's first alcohol infused whipped cream.

Reports are the spiked whipped cream is on sale in IN, MA, HI, OH, and other states. The whipped cream comes in sweet flavors such as hazelnut espresso and chocolate which completely disguise the taste of alcohol. Students are putting Whipped Lightening on top of jello shots and other mixed drinks as well as just eating it right out of the canister.

The whipped cream is 15% alcohol, or 30 proof.

Here are links to a couple of articles. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40430187

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/11/29/2010-11-29_alcoholinfused_whipped_cream_catches_regulators_eye_in_mass_as_its_popularity_co.html?r=lifestyle

A Love Fest for the Young and Sober

For parents looking for a place their teens can go, share their issues with alcohol and find support without judgment, I would highly recommend The International Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous. I went to their annual meeting in Atlanta in 2009, sat in on many of the sessions, and interviewed members.

While there are many ICYPAA members in their late teens and twenties there are many older people too. The bond: They all began drinking young and now form an enormous support group that openly embraces all comers.

I'm not supposed to talk specifically about what happened in individual sessions, but I can tell you that people got up and told gut wrenching stories about their alcoholism and how they are addressing it. The meeting was one of the most positive, supportive places I've ever been - a love fest for the sober.

They were still kids too - parties went late into the night but instead of alcohol there was juice, cookies and a great deal of dancing and karaoke. The four days were filled with meetings for those ensconced in AA's 12 Steps, and if attendees choose to, they coul literally go to meetings all day long.

Like AA for older folks, attendees only use their first names and last initial. One of the highlights: ICYPAA is growing in strength around the world, and there are now members groups forming in Europe, Asia and a some other places.

The meetings are well organized and include a bidding process for the next one that pits supporters of cities against each other in friendly rivalry.

The next ICYPAA meeting will be held in Manhattan's Times Square October 26-29th, 2010. For information go to http://www.icypaahost.org/

Teens Clueless About What Alcohol Does to Their Bodies

AAAS surveyed about 150 middle school students on their knowledge of alcohol and science. The result: They know almost nothing. Here is some of what we learned:

1. What are the main body systems affected by alcohol?

Thirty percent of respondents could not answer the question, 10% mentioned at least one body system that is affected by alcohol, and the rest named organs or gave answers that didn’t respond to the question.

(Correct Answer: All body systems are affected by alcohol because it throws through them in our blood. The major ones affected are the central nervous, cardiovascular, digestive and endocrine systems).

2. What is the alcohol that people drink made from?

Almost 50% of students had no idea where alcohol came from. Six percent thought it came from a plant, and 12% said it came from a combination of yeast, barley, hops, grapes, or a combination of all three. A few responses:

• I do not know. I think you make wine by squishing fruit in a tub.
• I think it is made from corn.
• Nicotine I think, or is that only cigarettes?
• I don’t really know, but there must be some kind of addictive material in there, right?

(Correct Answer: Alcohol comes from fermentation, the process through which carbohydrates such as sugar are turned into alcohol. Sugar is found in fruits such as grapes, which is how wine is made.)

3. Why does alcohol make people drunk?

Twenty nine percent did not know the answer, and the rest thought they knew, guessed, or provided some semblance of a correct answer. Responses included:

• Nerves in the body get over-active, and then you have no control over them.
• Alcohol affects your blood system and causes your brain to not function clearly.
• It messes up the immune system.
• Many chemicals are in the drink that the body can't handle it.
• Alcohol slows down the nervous system.

(Correct Answer: Ethyl alcohol is a psychoactive drug, meaning it’s a chemical that alters brain function, causing temporary changes in behavior, mood, and perception, among other things.)

Compelling Video of A Young Girl Talking About Future Alcoholism
(Yes it's an ad but it's a good one)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwOsGzRBDJs

Do You Really Want to Die From Drinking?

She looks like she's sleeping - but she could have Alcohol Poisoning.

Nearly one million teens are binge drinkers - meaning they reach a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08. For most adults this means consuming five drinks for men or four for women over a two-hour period.

When a person’s body absorbs too much alcohol, it can have a direct impact on the central nervous system, breathing, heart rate and gag reflex. This can lead to choking, coma and even death.

Victims of alcohol poisoning can lose the ability to swallow, because their gag reflex, a motor response from the body that prevents choking, shuts down. If they're passed out they can choke on vomit, accidentally inhaling it into their lungs. If you can't breathe, you die.

Even if you survive alcohol poisoning you may have irreversible brain damage.

What are the Signs of Alcohol Poisoning?

• Confusion and stupor

• Vomiting

• Seizures

• Slow or irregular breathing

• Hypothermia

• Unconsciousness

Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E_T_NQjJDo

Kids Cannot Argue with the Science of How Drinking Hurts

I was chatting with a fellow mom recently about our 13 year-old sons, one of those reassuring parent conversations when both of you realize your child’s crazy behavior is normal for his age.

We discussed how our sons had figured out that the end of eighth grade doesn’t count toward high school. That they are scared of taking this next step but will not admit it. That they don’t appear all that interested yet in girls, alcohol, or drugs.

According to a recent study, 14 year-olds are three times more likely than 13 year-olds to attend parties where parents are “supervising” and kids are drinking alcohol behind their backs. Science can help you broach the subject without seeming preachy.

In the spring of 2009, I attended the 51st International Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous (ICYPAA), sat in on more than a dozen sessions, interviewed attendees, and listened to the stories of many others. Almost all of these young alcoholics began drinking in middle school or freshman year of high school.

Why? High school can be terrifying. No matter what your child hears from friends and older siblings, she cannot imagine what high school will be like. She desperately wants to fit in. If that means chugging Red Bull, she may well do it. If her friends have upgraded to beer, she will consider and possibly do that.

Now that you’ve heard why you should talk to your adolescent about alcohol and science, and have a better understanding of how alcohol affects the body, it’s time to begin the discussion. Even though your child might be arguing with you about everything else, it’s hard to argue with science. That’s what we’re counting on.

Here's a YouTube video you and your teen should check out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42Y8QNpJmnI