NCJ Number
142250
Date Published
1989
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This booklet is designed to help professionals, parents, and children better understand the causes and effects of underage drinking and discover better ways to prevent and control alcohol abuse.
Abstract
The discussions emphasizes that alcohol is a potentially dangerous drug that can affect many more people than just the user and that underage drinking can begin a pattern of behavior that may follow a person throughout his or her life. Perhaps the greatest hazard of underage drinking involves the effects of alcohol on children and their families. Alcohol's physical effects can damage body organs and even cause death from overdose. Alcohol use can also cause emotional, behavioral, and social problems that can seriously impair a child's abilities and potential. The four stages of alcohol use and abuse are the experimental stage, the social stage, the dependent stage, and the chronic stage. Checklists, list of suggestions for parents, and addresses of local and national agencies to contact