The facts

If a teenager drinks before they are 15 they are:

• Four times more likely to develop alcohol dependency than those who wait until they are 21

• Seven times more likely to be in a car crash because of drinking

• Eleven times more likely to suffer unintentional injuries after drinking

From Straight Talk - a guide for parents on teenage drinking, a new leaflet on underage drinking, available from the HSE, tel: 1850-24 1850