“Sticker Shock” program aims to inform adults about dangers of underage drinking

By BRAD JOHNSON

Awareness is a big part of prevention. Providing prevention information on underage drinking and opioid abuse is a difficult task at times. Thinking outside the box and delivering solutions for these problems is what we excel at here at Next Step Community Solutions.

According to a study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, children who are given sips of alcohol by their parents are more likely to drink heavily as they get older. Here are some facts you can share with your teen or child if they wonder why you are against them drinking: Alcohol affects the teenage brain more dramatically than the adult brain, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. A teenager is more likely to experience alcohol poisoning from drinking too much, and the part of their brain that controls memory and learning, the hippocampus, is damaged by alcohol use underage. The part of the brain that determines risk, the prefrontal cortex, isn’t fully formed until about the mid-twenties. (Parents, that’s why teens will make choices that make you ask “What were you thinking?” and why insurance rates drop for adults in their mid-twenties.) Combine that with a substance that lowers inhibitions, and it’s no wonder underage drinking causes so many problems.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition https://www.etypeservices.com/Daingerfield%20BeeID312/