Metro creative image April is Alcohol Awareness Month. This year the focus is on underage drinking.

HOUGHTON — April is Alcohol Awareness Month, a time each year to raise awareness and understanding of alcohol abuse. This year’s theme is on preventing underage drinking.

Many youth drink, and when they do, they often binge drink, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH) reports. Drinking can lead to poor decisions about taking risks, including unsafe sexual behavior, drinking and driving, and aggressive or violent behavior.

Research shows that people who start drinking before the age of 15 are at a higher risk for developing alcohol use disorder (AUD) later in life, NIH reports.

As children mature, it is natural for them to assert their independence, seek new challenges, and engage in risky behavior, says NIH. Underage drinking is one such behavior that attracts many adolescents. They may want to try alcohol but often do not fully recognize its effects on their health and behavior.

Houghton County Treatment Court Grant Project Director, and former prevention specialist and drug counselor with the Western U.P. Health Department, Gail Ploe said in many instances, parents do not approach the topic with their children.

“A lot of people are afraid to talk directly with their kids about drinking,” said Gail Ploe, “but in most cases, I tell parents all the time, silence is not golden; it’s permission.”

If parents don’t talk with their kids about not drinking, Ploe said, and fail to hold them accountable and put some very clear consequences in place for what will happen if they drink, kids will consider that as mom and dad didn’t say anything so it’s not too big a deal, so why not drink?

Susan Foster, assistant director of Substance Use Prevention with the Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education in North Carolina says adults play a critical role in shaping the habits of the children in their care. Research states that talking to youth about underage drinking, disapproving of the behavior, and taking action to prevent it are the biggest factors in whether or not a child will use alcohol before age 21. The Poe Center is a North Carolina-based nonprofit organization that provides evidence-based health education for children and families.

Maine-based Healthy Acadia also recommends parents and adults talk with teens about underage drinking.

“Parents and caregivers play a big role in keeping teens safe and healthy,” Health Acadia says. “When trusted adults talk openly and honestly, teens listen.”

“Talk to the youth in your life about the dangers of underage drinking,” Foster suggests. “Set clear expectations around the use of alcohol. It’s never too early to start the conversation.”