Daily HealthBeat Tip

Young and sober.

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Start to drink as a kid, and you're more likely to grow into an adult with a drinking problem. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration looked at over-21-year-olds who were admitted for alcohol treatment. Those who first used alcohol before age 12 were more likely than any others to have been in treatment five or more times.

So the HHS agency is teaming with the children's publishing and media company, Scholastic, to help teachers reach the kids before the kids reach for a drink. Reach Out Now tells fifth and sixth graders about the dangers of alcohol. But the director of the agency's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Beverly Watts Davis, points out that it's not just the teacher who teaches.

"Most importantly, parents should talk to their kids. Even when your children don't want you � sometimes, you feel like they're telling you to stay away � get involved, stay involved, and keep involved with your child." (10 seconds)

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August 11, 2005

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