Build trust with your teenagers, so they’ll be more inclined to trust and confide in you about alcohol-related concerns.

Don't stop talking: Even when it's tough, keep the lines of communication open.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—If screaming fights with unruly teenagers are driving you to drink, they’re probably having the same effect on your teen, according to the results of a recent study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Researchers from Switzerland found that kids who had unhealthy relationships with their parents were more inclined to drink at younger ages and develop related problems down the line.

THE DETAILS: In three surveys over 2 years, researchers studied a total of 364 teenagers whose average age was 15 when the study started. The first survey recorded how old the teens were when they had their first alcoholic drink and also noted the quality of their relationships with their parents. The second survey investigated how much the teens drank (they were asked how many drinks they’d had prior to the interview), and the third survey was used to discover if they had developed any drinking problems (such as getting into fights or going to school drunk).

The researchers found that most kids had started drinking at age 13. Confirming previous research findings, the surveyors found that kids who started drinking at younger ages tended to drink more, which in turn led to more alcohol-related problems as they grew older. But the researchers also found that kids who had better relationships with their parents started drinking at older ages, which mitigated how much they drank and how many alcohol-related problems they developed over time.

WHAT IT MEANS: Developing healthy relationships with your kids will protect them against a variety of risky behaviors, whether it’s alcohol or other drug use or unsafe sex, says Henry Whiteside, PhD, managing partner of LutraGroup SP, which authorizes counselors and distributes materials for the Strengthening Families Program. “You ask kids who they trust for information about anything, and you’ll find that most teenagers say it’s their parents,” he says. It’s not a teen safety guarantee, of course, but a positive bond certainly tilts their odds in a favorable direction.

Here are several ways to keep teenagers on the right track: