Teen alcohol consumption: A tangled network leads to a surprising conclusion

When your teen comes home slurring, swaying and smelling of alcohol, here's a research finding that will help you pinpoint whom to finger as the major "bad influence" in the kid's life. First, a couple of hints: It's not that rowdy gang of boys your son hangs out with, and it's not those girls who wear too much makeup that your daughter's fallen in with. It's also not the new love interest in your kid's life, either (well, not precisely).

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times / For the Booster Shots blog

September 30, 2011