This is very disturbing regarding the health of our children as they become teenagers, and I don't know how this can be reversed in a positive direction. Do you?
NPR: Pop Stars Are Sippin' On Patron, And Teens Are Bingeing
Ke$ha says that to start the day she'll brush her teeth with a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. Nicki Minaj likes to "have a drink, have a clink" of Bud Light. And the party-rockin' hip-hop duo LMFAO like Ciroc, and they love Patron. "Shots, shots, shots, shots everybody!"
All that name-checking of alcohol brands encourages teens to drink, researchers say. Adolescents who liked songs like these were three times as likely to drink, and were twice as likely to binge than their peers who didn't like those songs.
Huffington Post
"Every year, the average adolescent is exposed to about 3,000 references to alcohol brands while listening to music," study researcher Dr. Brian A. Primack, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine and pediatrics and director of the Program for Research on Media and Health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said in a statement. "It is important that we understand the impact of these references to alcohol brands in an age group that can be negatively impacted by alcohol consumption."
What to do?
EmaxHealth
Talking to your teen about drinking can be uncomfortable, but it is important to be calm and relaxed as opposed to confrontational. Ask what they know about alcohol, and why they think teens drink. Let them speak uninterrupted, and then answer any questions they may have, as well as give the facts about alcohol and the dangers of drinking. You don’t have to cover everything at once, but establish the lines of communication early so your teen knows they can talk to you if and when they have questions about alcohol and drinking.