Q. There are so many things to worry about when raising a teenager. I'd like to just grant permission to use alcohol. I drink and don't have a problem. My child will almost certainly drink eventually anyway. What about it?

A. Your child may drink eventually, but for every year you support delaying that first drink, your child has a better chance of not developing alcohol problems.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has research showing that children who begin drinking at age 13 have a 47% greater chance of becoming alcoholics or problem drinkers in later life. For each year the onset of drinking is delayed, the likelihood of developing alcoholism is reduced by 14%. Pretty convincing!

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