The Office of National Statistics reports that 25 percent of male schoolchildren 11 to 15 have at least one drink per week. Older children are more likely to drink. Girls whose statistics have lagged boys in the past are now catching up.

The best protection we parents can provide is good communication with our teens. This means taking time from jobs, TV and newspapers just to ask questions about how your teenager's life is going.

To build a good talking reputation with your teen you need to be available. That means not only being home but being attentive, TV off, not just muted and monitored for the end of the commercial. Ignore the ringing telephone when it interferes with the topic.

Teens worry about how you feel about them personally. In order to have the proper defense ready, they're always on the lookout for the disagreement and criticism you might have. Try to keep your comments in the third person. "Then what happened?" is much better than, "Then what did you do?" Keep the "you" out of it. And leave the scoring, winning and competition out also.

Now if the temptation to criticize, set straight, and let them know who has the right answers can be kept under control, you're likely to hear about their struggles with the temptations that are coming along. Most of these conversations should probably end without a conclusion or solution to the problem. Better to end with a ticket of admission for next time than resentment about the conversation this time.