Underage drinking is illegal no matter how much alcohol is consumed. But binging, or drinking 5 or more servings of alcohol in one sitting, is a high-risk behavior. Find out what parents can do to stop the binge before it starts.

The scene is a suburban hospital emergency room. A couple sits anxiously waiting for the doctor. He arrives and assures them that their teen will live. Their son is one of the lucky ones. He drank himself into unconsciousness and passed out in a pool of his own vomit. He is 13.

"I always thought we knew what was going on, that we were in touch with our kids," says a mother with three teens. "I guess we just didn't pay enough attention." Two of her children have experimented with alcohol in their own home. The mother now keeps all liquor locked up.

Obviously, you don't want anything like this to happen to you and your family. And it doesn't have to. There are practical steps to take that will help you keep your teen safe from binge drinking.

BINGE DRINKING - WHAT IS IT AND WHO DOES IT AFFECT?

As defined by the College Alcohol Study, a major ongoing study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, bingeing means five or more drinks in one sitting for a male, or four or more for a female, on at least one occasion in the previous two weeks. The effects of drinking also depend on body size, eating habits, and how a person's body metabolizes alcohol.

Gender matters, too. Boys and men produce a stomach enzyme called ADH, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, which breaks down about 25% of the alcohol before it even enters the blood. But estrogen, the female hormone, blocks the production of this hormone, so women and girls are more influenced by alcohol, no matter their weight. Because of the boost in hormones in the middle of their cycle, women are most susceptible to alcohol just before they menstruate.

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Issue: October 2007