December 28, 2009

Is it OK to give teens a taste of champagne at home on New Year's Eve?

   By BETH J. HARPAZ

   Associated Press Writer

   NEW YORK (AP) _ Should parents let their teenagers have champagne at home on New Year's Eve?

   One argument says no, it sends the wrong message that underage drinking is OK.

   The other side argues that a ceremonial glass of champagne at home with family encourages moderation and makes a forbidden activity less tantalizing.

   Either way, statistics show that no matter what parents do at home, and despite the legal drinking age of 21, most U.S. teens have tried alcohol by age 18.

   Seventy-five percent of high school students have tried alcohol at least once, according to the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

   And nearly 45 percent had had at least one drink in the 30 days before the survey, which is conducted every two years. Twenty-six percent of students had had five or more drinks of alcohol in one episode in the 30 days before the survey.