Can drinking as a teenager raise your tolerance for alcohol as an adult? A study from Baylor University found that premise held true for animals.

Researchers found that rats that had been exposed to moderate levels of alcohol in adolescence had higher tolerances five years later.

Author Dr. Douglas Matthews said, "The body and brain are still developing and this shows that even moderate levels of alcohol can have harmful effects."

The study was published in the journal Alcohol.

Labels: alcohol, tolerance, underage_drinking

Can drinking as a teenager raise your tolerance for alcohol as an adult? A study from Baylor University found that, in animals at least, the answer to this question is "yes."

Researchers found that rats that had been exposed to moderate levels of alcohol in adolescence had higher tolerances five years later.

Author Dr. Douglas Matthews said, "The body and brain are still developing and this shows that even moderate levels of alcohol can have harmful effects."

The study was published in the journal Alcohol.

Labels: adults, alcohol, tolerance

What is the best solution to underage drinking? Some parents choose to address the problem by hosting parties in their homes; believing that - since kids are going to drink anyway - it's better if they're drinking in a safe environment.

"Skeptical this is a widespread problem? A 2006 survey by the National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse at New York's Columbia University found that 28 percent of teen partygoers surveyed said they had attended parties where parents were present and teens drank."

Adults who provide alcohol to underage drinkers can be fined thousands of dollars and even spend time in jail. Studies show that early drinking is strongly linked to alcohol dependence later in life. Teens don't need "cool" parents who will let them drink, but strict, law-abiding parents who will put alcohol use in proper perspective. Source: Hanover (NJ) Eagle

Labels: parental_involvement, role_models, tolerance