As a parent, you remember well how you started drinking in college, even though you weren’t 21. But your teenager is still in high school, so you assume they haven’t begun drinking yet. You believe they know that it is illegal and dangerous and that they wouldn’t break the law.
While it is common for parents to think this way, the stats show that it’s actually more likely that your teen has already started drinking alcohol, even though they are nowhere close to 21 years of age.
What do the statistics tell us?
There have been many studies on this, and one of them considered 4.7 million different individuals who had all taken up drinking over the last year. Of those, a massive 82.9% had started drinking prior to turning 21 and reaching the legal drinking age. The majority, at 61%, had even started drinking before they turned 18 years old. Since most high school students are 18 when they graduate, this means that a large percentage of the study started drinking in high school.
What if your teen faces legal charges?
You probably have already talked to your teen about drinking and they certainly know that it’s illegal, so there’s only so much that you can do to prevent it. Teenagers are simply going to live their lives the way they want, and they are highly susceptible to peer pressure.
If your teen does start drinking and gets arrested on charges for being a minor in possession or even for driving while under the influence, it can really have a big impact on their future. You need to know how to protect that future and what legal options are available to your family at this time. Contact an experienced attorney to learn more.
