Risks of Underage Drinking

Alcohol is the most abused drug by adolescents in the U.S. An estimated 50% of junior and senior high school students drink alcohol on a monthly basis and approximately 14% of teenagers have experienced alcohol intoxication in the past year. And what is more, almost 8% of teenagers who drink say that when they drink, they drink a lot, consuming up to or more than five alcoholic beverages successively.[1] These behaviours advance the risks of underage drinking to a whole new level.

Here is a quick overview on underage drinking risks:

• The earlier a child starts drinking the longer are the effects of alcohol.[2]
• Alcohol decreases a child’s learning abilities, including attention span
• Experiencing alcohol withdrawal among teens leads to problems with memory
• Every year, 2,000 minors die in vehicular accidents, which involve drinking alcohol. This makes alcohol the number one KILLER of teens who become involved in alcohol-related accidents. Alcohol is involved in more than half of ALL violent deaths that involves adolescents.
• Male teens who abuse alcohol are likely to complete less years of education as compared to male teens that do not.
• When compared to adults, teenagers who drink alcohol have a higher risk of doing so with other drugs such as marijuana and cocaine
• 20% of Children in 8^th grade have said they have been drunk.[3]
• Teenagers who drink are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors such as unprotected sex or casual sex or even be a victim of sexual assault

The risks from consuming high amounts of alcohol are bad enough for adults, for a child, the risks are even higher. The best way to protect them from underage drinking, is to stop them BEFORE they even start. Teenagers cannot control their urges as well as adults. Drinking feeds a teenager’s desire to have more, especially if they associate drinking with positive experience.[4]

And as long as people do NOT take action, the risks of underage drinking will continue to permeate our society. As long as we don’t make a decision to CARE, we will see more and more children who succumb to one of society’s biggest foes, that of — underage drinking.