An average broadcast of an NFL football game contains 11 minutes of players in motion and 60 minutes of advertising. So, what do your kids really see when they watch those games? Lots of ads showing that drinking alcohol is cool and linked to success and happiness.

Over $1 billion is spent annually on beer ads during broadcast sporting events (and other programs) that children, teens and young adults watch. So it's little wonder that the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that around 24 percent of kids 12-20 years old say they drank alcohol during the past month, and around 15 percent admit to binge drinking. Meanwhile, 190,000 kids under 21 land in the emergency room every year from alcohol-related accidents.

What can you do to help your kids understand how risky it is to drink when your brain is still developing and your future can be permanently altered? Plenty.

Studies show setting a good example, establishing rules, welcoming open conversations about drinking and sharing tough facts on the risks makes a difference.

Explain that when teens drink it changes parts of their brain that control memory, learning and decision making. And the damage isn't temporary; it persists into adulthood. If you are a stupid drunk tonight, you'll be just plain stupid 15 years from now!

Point out that if they hold off now, when they turn 21, they'll have the good judgment they need to drink responsibly - no more than one glass of wine a day for women and two for men. Then it's cheers all around!

© 2014 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.