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Parenting may influence binge drinking, according to researchers

By Staff Writer

Drug rehab centers can help individuals who have become dependent on alcohol, but parental guidance may be able to prevent children from turning to the substance early in life.

Researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) found that parenting styles play a large role in whether a child abuses alcohol in adulthood, according to NPR. Kids who had parents who were too strict or too lenient during their childhood tended to binge drink more than their peers. Experts say that a balance in discipline may be the key to preventing alcoholism in adulthood.

Stephen Bahr and his colleagues at BYU studied a group of 5,000 teenagers to conduct their research. Kids with parents who issued little punishment were three times more likely to abuse alcohol, according to the study that was published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Children with strict parents were twice as likely to drink heavily, compared to their peers.

There are more than 79,000 deaths due to alcohol poisoning in the U.S. every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In the United States, alcoholism is the third leading cause of preventable death, according to the CDC. Rehabilitation facilities can provide individuals with the resources they need to detoxify over time.

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