/

1x

The rule that makes teens drink less

Researchers have weighed in on the age-old debate of whether you should let your underage teen drink at home. A recent study sides with parents who have strict rules about alcohol. It found that setting clear rules about drinking may actually make it easier for kids 12 to 16 to resist peer pressure and abstain.

By Lindsay Grummett

Updated November 2, 2012

Add as preferred on Google(opens in a new tab)

Alcohol Being Poured Into Glass

Istockphoto

Researchers have weighed in on the age-old debate of whether you should let your underage teen drink at home. A recent study sides with parents who have strict rules about alcohol. It found that setting clear rules about drinking may actually make it easier for kids 12 to 16 to resist peer pressure and abstain. Adolescents may internalize those parental rules, which can help them inhibit themselves, said the study's corresponding author Sara Pieters.

Bottom line: Your kids are listening (we swear!). Discuss the rules regularly and don't second-guess yourself; you're helping your kids stay on track.

The very best of Chatelaine straight to your inbox.

FILED UNDER:

Copy link

More Like This

Meet the Women Shaping the Way We Talk About Weight

Meet the Women Shaping the Way We Talk About Weight

Can These Over-The-Counter Drugs Really Provide Perimenopausal Symptom Relief?

Can These Over-The-Counter Drugs Really Provide Perimenopausal Symptom Relief?

The one-two punch of allergy meds and antacids has gone viral online for alleviating the most miserable parts of perimenopause.

I Had My First Orgasm At 50

Sex & Relationships

I Had My First Orgasm At 50

Anorgasmic, frigid, dysfunctional: all the words I’d attached to myself over decades no longer applied.

Canadians Are Using ‘Buckets Of Doom’ To Combat Mosquitoes This Summer

Canadians Are Using ‘Buckets Of Doom’ To Combat Mosquitoes This Summer

Experts say the viral hack works—but only if you use it properly.

Chatelaine Summer 2026 cover, featuring a woman biting into a burger.

Subscribe to Chatelaine!

Sandwiches! Sundaes! Jello shots! Plus the lowdown on the female desire pill, women who hit major life milestones at 50 and guest editor Meredith Shaw's all-Canadian summer lookbook.