Underage Drinking: Prevent Your Teen from Falling to Peer Pressure

An estimated 4.1 million students will transition from middle school to high school in the next few weeks.

According to the National Institutes of Health, this is a time when your child is significantly more likely to engage in risky behavior, like drinking alcohol. That's why this is such a crucial time for you to have an important conversation with your teen about how to confidently say "no thanks" to these negative peer pressures.

According to research by Responsibility.org, parents are the leading influence in their child's decision to drink or not to drink. And, over the past decade, underage drinking has declined about 19 percent annually as conversations about underage drinking between parents and their kids have risen by 62 percent.

Deborah Gilboa, MD, shares why it's important to talk to your teenager about underage drinking and not falling to peer pressure.