Underage Drinking & Binge Drinking

• Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States.
• Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year.
• Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years old drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States, and more than 90% is consumed in the form of binge drinks.
• Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol content (BAC) to 0.08 grams (g/dL) or more. This happens when men consume five or more drinks, or women consume four or more drinks in about two hours.

Consequences of Underage Drinking

• Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience:
  • School problems, such as higher absence and poor/failing grades
  • Social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities
  • Legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk
  • Hangovers or illnesses
  • Unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity
  • Disruption of normal growth and sexual development
  • Physical and sexual assault
  • Higher risk for suicide and homicide
  • Alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries (i.e. burns, falls, drowning)
  • Memory problems
  • Abuse of other drugs
  • Changes in brain development with potential life-long effects
  • Death from alcohol poisoning

Tips for Parents: How to Tell If Your Child is Consuming Alcohol: 

• Mood changes: flare-ups of temper, irritability, and defensiveness
• School problems: poor attendance, low grades, and/or recent disciplinary action
• Rebellion against family rules
• Friend changes: switching friends and a reluctance to let you get to know the new friends
• A “nothing matters” attitude: sloppy appearance, a lack of involvement in former interests, and general low energy
• Alcohol presence: finding it in your child’s room or backpack, smelling alcohol on his or her breath
• Physical or mental problems: memory lapses, poor concentration, bloodshot eyes, lack of coordination, or slurred speech