Fact Sheet for Parents: What You Need to Know About Alcohol
Aaron Hunt, Gabriela Murza, and Alyssa Ferrin
What Is Alcohol?
Alcohol, which is called ethanol by scientists, is a widely used substance that is found in drinks like beer, wine, and liquor (such as vodka or whiskey) that can change the way people think, feel, and act (National Institute of Drug Abuse, n.d.; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], n.d.; Paton, 2005; World Health Organization, 2024). Drinking alcohol impacts how our brain is working and can make us feel relaxed, drowsy, or aggressive (Paton, 2005). In 2023, alcohol was the most commonly used substance among youth in Grades 9–12 in Utah (Public Health Indicator Based Information System [IBIS], 2024a). This is noteworthy, as any amount of alcohol use by minors is considered excessive alcohol use and can worsen health, decision-making, and driving ability (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], n.d.-b).
Why Is Alcohol Dangerous for Kids and Teens?
• Brain Development
The brain continues to develop until about age 25 (National Institute on Mental Health, 2023). Drinking alcohol can harm this growth, leading to problems with memory, learning, decision-making, and behavior by damaging parts of the brain, including the frontal lobe (front of the brain), hippocampus (memory area), amygdala (emotion center), and corpus callosum (the bridge between brain halves) (NIAAA, 2024). Even a little alcohol can slow down brain messages, making it harder to move well or act like yourself (NIAAA, n.d.).
•
Risk of Alcohol Dependence
Kids who drink alcohol, especially at young ages, are more likely to have alcohol problems or addiction later in life (NIAAA, 20205b). If someone drinks often, their body may need more alcohol to feel the same way (Koob & Le Moal, 2008). They may feel they cannot stop drinking, even if they try. Trying to stop can cause shaky hands, feeling sick, or being very worried all of which are called withdrawal symptoms (Becker, 2008). Some people keep drinking to avoid these bad feelings (Becker, 2008). Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a sickness when a person cannot control their drinking, even though it causes serious problems at home, school, or with their health (NIAAA, 2025a). Alcohol can change the brain so much that it is hard to quit and easy to start again (NIAAA, 2025a).
• Poor Decision-Making
Alcohol can make it hard to think straight and can lead kids and teens to do risky things like driving drunk, getting into fights, or trying other drugs (NIAAA, 2025b). Drinking when young can harm the frontal lobe, the part of the brain that helps with planning and making good choices (NIAAA, 2024). Many young people aged 12–20 years drink a lot all at once, a behavior called binge drinking, which happens when a person has three or more drinks in 2 hours (NIAAA, 2007). This can cause teens to get a lot of alcohol in their body, which makes them drunk, increasing the risk of making unsafe choices, getting into trouble at school or with the law, getting hurt, or even dying (NIAAA, 2025b).
• Health Risks and Organ Deterioration
Drinking too much alcohol can hurt your body. It can damage your liver so it does not work right, cause problems with your heart and blood vessels, make your pancreas swell, increase your risk for cancer, and even cause alcohol poisoning, all of which can be life-threatening (NIAAA, 2024).
• Alcohol Use Among Youth
In Utah, fewer kids drink alcohol than in many other places, but older students drink more than younger ones. The 2023 Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) Survey showed that high school students, especially those in 12th grade, are more likely to have tried alcohol (Table 1). Even though fewer kids are drinking now than before, it helps when parents start talking about it early. Kids whose parents make it clear that they do not approve of drinking are much less likely to try alcohol (Parents Empowered, 2025).
Table 1. Alcohol Use Among Youth in Utah From the 2023 SHARP Survey
Source: Adapted from Utah Department of Health & Human Services (2023)
How Parents Can Help Prevent Underage Drinking
According to Parents Empowered, a Utah-based prevention program, parents play the most important role in keeping kids alcohol-free (Parents Empowered, 2025). Here’s how you can help:
• Talk early.
Start talking about alcohol by age 9. Kids begin to form ideas about alcohol between ages 9 and 13 (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2020).
• Set clear boundaries.
Tell your child “No alcohol” until they are 21, and remind them often
• Stay involved.
Know their friends, activities, and what they do after school.
• Spend time together.
Do fun activities as a family. Strong bonds help kids make better choices.
Resources for Parents
For additional resources on preventing underage drinking, visit the following websites.
• ParentsEmpowered.org
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Underage Drinking
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• What You Can Do to Prevent Your Child From Drinking Alcohol (SAMHSA)
References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2020, February 5). Underage drinking: How to talk with your child about alcohol use. HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/substance-abuse/Pages/Why-toHave-the-Alcohol-Talk-Early.aspx
Becker, H. C. (2008). Alcohol dependence, withdrawal, and relapse. Alcohol Research & Health, 31(4), 348. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3860472/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (n.d.-a). Alcohol use and your health. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/about-alcohol-use/index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (n.d.-b). About underage drinking. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/underage-drinking/index.html
Koob, G. F., & Le Moal, M. (2008). Addiction and the brain antireward system. Annual Review of Psychology, 59(1), 29–53. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093548
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). (n.d.). Alcohol’s effects on health: Alcohol’s effects on the body. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). (2024, November). Alcohol and the adolescent brain. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/alcohol-and-adolescent-brain
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). (2007, November). Defining binge drinking: What colleges need to know now. https://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/media/1College_Bulletin-508_361C4E.pdf
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). (2025a, January). Understanding alcohol use disorder. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-alcohol-use-disorder
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). (2025b, January). Alcohol’s effects on health: Get the facts about underage drinking. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/underagedrinking#:~:text=Impairs%20judgment.,and%20aggressive%20or%20violent%20behavior
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (n.d.). Alcohol: Key takeaways. https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/alcohol National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (2023). The teen brain: 7 things to know. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-teen-brain-7-things-to-know Paton, A. (2005). Alcohol in the body. BMJ, 330, 7482. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.330.7482.85 Public Health Indicator Based Information System (IBIS). (2024a, October 16). Complete health indicator report of substance abuse (alcohol or marijuana) - adolescents. Utah Department of Health and Human Services. https://ibis.utah.gov/ibisphview/indicator/complete_profile/SubAbuAdol.html#:~:text=Alcohol%20(6.4%25)%20and%20marijuana,8%2C%201 0%2C%20and%2012
Public Health Indicator Based Information System (IBIS). (2024b, May 9). Query results for Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) query module - current alcohol use Utah Department of Health and Human Services. https://ibis.utah.gov/ibisph-view/query/result/yrbs/YRBS/CurAlcoholUse.html
Utah Department of Health and Human Services. (2023). State of Utah profile report: 2023 SHARP Survey (prevention needs assessment) results for state of Utah https://dsamhtraining.utah.gov/_documents/SHARPreports/2023/StateOfUtahProfileReport.pdf
World Health Organization (WHO). (2024). Alcohol. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/alcohol
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September 2025
Utah State University Extension
Peer-reviewed fact sheet
Suggested citation: Hunt, A., Murza, G., & Ferrin, A. (2025). Fact sheet for parents: What you need to know about alcohol. Utah State University Extension.