20 percent of 14-year-olds have been drunk

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The first weeks of middle school are a frenzy, but are also a good time for parents to discuss alcohol dangers with children, a U.S. non-profit group said.

The Science Inside Alcohol Project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science says nearly 20 percent of 14-year-old teens say they've been drunk at least once. In addition:

-- The Partnership for a Drug-Free America released a study in August, 2008 of 6,500 teens in which 73 percent said school stress caused them to drink and take drugs.

-- A Columbia University study found that "problem parents," who let their kids stay out past 10 p.m. on school nights, are putting the kids in situations in which they are at risk for substance use.

-- About 100 university leaders called for a national discussion of lowering the drinking age to 18.

The middle-school years are crucial in the battle to prevent early alcohol use, the report said. Students start pulling away from parents, yet seek out other adults for guidance, Shirley Malcom of the American Association for the Advancement of Science said.

It's the most vulnerable time, specialists say, but also one of the last times they still can be influenced by adults.