underage

"Underage drinking presents a very real and proven health risk to children in Ohio, as well as throughout the nation. Studies have proven that memory and learning capabilities can be damaged and decision-making and reasoning areas of the brain can be compromised when adolescents use alcohol. We need to send the message that underage drinking is illegal, not safe, unhealthy and unacceptable."

- Patricia Harmon, Executive Director of Drug-Free Action Alliance

"We can no longer ignore the devastating effects of alcohol on the health, safety and well-being of our children. I am asking parents, communities and educational systems to take a stand and work toward a solution." - Rear Admiral Steven Galson, Acting Surgeon General of the United States of America

Read Drug-Free Action Alliance's Press Release: Underage Drinkers Face Lifetime of Alcohol Abuse and Health Risks

Facts about Underage Drinking

• Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns and drownings.

• According to data from the 2005 Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, an annual survey of U.S. youth, three-fourth of 12th graders, more than two-thirds of 10th graders, and about two in every five 8th graders have consumed alcohol.

• In 2003, the average age of first use of alcohol was about 14, compared to about 17 ½ in 1965

• Before age 9, children generally view alcohol negatively and see drinking as bad, with adverse effects. By about age 13, however, their expectancies shift, becoming more positive.

• Nearly 90 percent of 10th graders and 75 percent of 8th graders think that alcohol is either “fairly easy” or “very easy” for them to get.

• 40% of children who start drinking before the age of 15 will become alcoholics at some point in their lives. Delaying the use of alcohol until the legal age helps avoid many of the associated problems. If the onset of drinking is delayed by 5 years, a child’s risk of serious alcohol problems is cut in half.

• 38% of girls ages 12 to 17 have used alcohol at least once. Of these, nearly 19% are current users and 7% are binge drinkers (have consumed 5 or more drinks in a row at least once in the past month)

• Among 8th grade girls who drink heavily, 37% report attempting suicide , compared to 11% who do not drink.

• Boys are more likely than girls to begin drinking before age 13. The earlier underage drinking begins, the greater the risk for developing a serious alcohol-related problem, including addiction.

• Overall, male high school students are significantly more likely than female high school students to report episodic heavy drinking.

• Young people between the ages of 12 and 20 are more likely to use alcohol than use tobacco or illicit drugs, including marijuana.

• According to a landmark survey on the drinking habits of Americans, the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), the highest prevalence of alcohol dependence (as defined in the most recent editions of the DSM-IV and DSM-IV-TR) is among 18 to 20-year olds.

Additional Helpful Links and Resources

Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking

http:www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/about.html

Parents Who Host, Lose the Mose: Don't be a party to teenage drinking.

http://www.drugfreeactionalliance.org/pwh.php

Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free

http://www.alcoholfreechildren.org

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information

http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/features/youth

http://www.thecoolspot.gov

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov

Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth
http://camy.org