3241 Electric Rd
  Roanoke, VA 24018
  Phone: 540- 772-4341

One in four Roanoke County teens begin drinking alcohol before the age of 13*

US Surgeon General urges parents to talk with children to help them avoid this serious risk to their health and development

The Center for Disease Control, reports that alcohol use contributes to approximately 4,500 deaths each year among underage youth in the United States.

The US Surgeon General’s Office considers this health risk so serious that it issued a Call to Action on Underage Drinking in March of 2007.  Acting Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugo, M.D. Ph.D appealed to communities to do more to stop America's 11 million current underage drinkers from using alcohol, and to keep other young people from starting. 

This behavior starts much earlier than most parents would think.  Local Youth Risk Behavior Survey data indicate that approximately 25% of youth report having had their first drink of alcohol (more than a few sips) before the age of 13.  Young people who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol-related problems later in life. 

Research indicates that the perception of their parent’s disapproval plays a key role in whether kids engage in high-risk behavior. These findings make it clear that parents need to talk with their children about alcohol and other drugs before they begin middle school and keep talking.

 To respond to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action Roanoke Valley pediatricians have joined with Council of PTA’s, parents, schools, and courts to answer the surgeon general’s call to action to prevent underage drinking. The pediatricians are leading an effort to educate parents, as part of the sixth grade check up. Physicians will provide parents information on how to talk with their children using “Silence Isn’t Golden, It’s Permission,” a one page guide developed by the Partnership for a Drug Free American and approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and PTA Association of America. Parent communication is key to preventing underage drinking and other high risk youth behavior. Yet many parents don’t realize that this behavior often begins in the middle school years.

For more information please contact the Roanoke County Prevention Council at 772-4341.