Spring Break Ritual Could Lead to Brain Damage

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120312135111.htm

ScienceDaily (Mar. 12, 2012) — Every year, thousands of teens and young adults celebrate Spring Break by drinking large amounts of alcohol -- binge drinking -- a dangerous right-of-passage for some and one linked to possible brain damage later as adults, says an expert.

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She urges parents to have frank and consistent talks with their children early in life about the dangers of alcohol.

"If they hear anything that sounds middle of road, they hear 'yes to drinking.' Any ambiguity as a parent will be interpreted as an approval for drinking. The clear message needs to be that alcohol is not acceptable because it's not safe or good for your developing brain," she says.

Parents who waiver even slightly tend to lose credibility.

"Some parents will debate that maybe it's better to have your children drink at home. They reason that by providing the alcohol, they can control what their teens are drinking and where. However, it's only a false sense of security. In reality, it's the opposite," Kowalchuk says.

Research has shown that lenient drinking attitudes at home tend to lead to higher drinking rates.

"They hear the implicit approval of their drinking, and even if you control the alcohol use while they're with you, they're that much more likely than their peers in non-permitting homes to drink more when unsupervised and not around their parents," she says.

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