Educational campaigns and advocacies have cited a lot of adverse effects of under age drinking – deaths, brain damage, memory loss, injuries, etc. Understandably, fatalities are the most feared consequence.
What are the various direct links between underage drinking and death:
a. Alcohol poisoning
Alcohol poisoning is essentially an overdose of alcohol which prevents the normal functioning of the body. This includes the normal functioning of heart beat and breathing… thus it can be fatal. Some of the symptoms of alcohol poisoning include difficulty in breathing, seizures, and hypothermia. When the blood contains very high levels of alcohol, a person may become unconscious and can become comatose. Death may happen if: a) because of the alcohol, the person stops breathing while unconscious, b) a person vomited while sleeping, he can inhale the vomit and suffocate, c) because the person is unconscious, he may choke on his own tongue, and d) because he has combined alcohol with other drugs, the combination might be lethal. With 24% of underage Americans admitting to binge drinking in 2009, alcohol poisoning is surely a cause of concern.
b. Alcohol-related fatal accidents
Underage drinkers are less likely than adults to drive after drinking alcohol, but their risk of crash risk is significantly higher when they do. This is attributed to their having less experience in drinking, in driving and in driving while drunk.
In 2009, 30 percent of 16-20 year-old passenger vehicle drivers fatally injured in accidents had low alcohol content in their blood. Teenage drivers with alcohol in their bodies are more likely to be killed in crashes than those who are sober – 17 times more likely for boys and 7 times more likely for girls.
c. Alcohol-related suicides
While alcohol-related suicides are more common among the adult population, still the risk of teenagers, who can also suffer from depression, committing suicide while drunk is a serious concern. Alcohol is a known depressant and it compounds the problems of those going through depression.
d. Alcohol-related murders
60% of all homicides are related to or attributed to alcohol – this is the figure for the general population. Among the underage populations, drinking is directly linked in 36 percent of teenage homicides. In fact, homicide is the second leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds.
There are other alcohol-related deaths such as those caused by liver diseases, heart attack, etc but these are more common among the adult population. Every day in the U.S. more than 13,000 children and teens take their first drink. Given these facts and figures, it is understandable that of all the consequences of alcohol usage with this part of society, under age drinking deaths are the most alarming. Yet, it would be wrong to say that drinking alcohol is fatal. It is the abuse and irresponsible use of alcohol that cause these deaths.
[1] 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey