Alcohol – Teen Facts By: Braden Griner

NEED TO KNOW About 75% of high school students have tried alcohol. More alarming, about 26% of teens have had a recent episode of heavy drinking (more than 5 drinks within a couple of hours). The leading cause of death for teens and young adults is car crashes related to alcohol. Drinking also lowers inhibitions, which can lead teens to have unprotected sex, increasing the chance of pregnancy and infection with sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes, chlamydia, and HIV. Using alcohol and tobacco at a young age has negative health effects. While some teens will experiment and stop, or continue to use occasionally, without significant problems.  Others will develop a dependency, moving on to more dangerous drugs and causing significant harm to themselves and possibly others. It is difficult to know which teens will experiment and stop and which will develop serious problems.  Teenagers at risk for developing serious alcohol and drug problems include those: with a family history of substance abuse who are depressed who have low self-esteem who feel like they don't fit in or are out of the mainstream

NEED TO KNOW CONTINUED Youth who drink alcohol1, 3, 8 are more likely to experience School problems, such as higher absence and poor or 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. Physical problems, such as 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, such as burns, falls, and drowning. Memory problems. Abuse of other drugs. Changes in brain development that may have life-long effects. Death from alcohol poisoning. In general, the risk of youth experiencing these problems is greater for those who binge drink than for those who do not binge drink.8 Youth who start drinking before age 15 years are five times more likely to develop alcohol abuse later in life than those who begin drinking at or after age 21 years.9, 10

NICE TO KNOW During the past month (30 days), 26.4% of underage persons (ages 12-20) used alcohol, and binge drinking among the same age group was 17.4%.  An average drunk driver has driven drunk 87 times before first arrest. One in three 8th graders drinks alcohol.

30 DAYS OF A 12th GRADER

NECESSARY TO KNOW The 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among high school students, during the past 30 days 42% drank some amount of alcohol. 24% binge drank. 10% drove after drinking alcohol. 28% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.

REDUCING TEEN DRINKING Reducing underage drinking will require community-based efforts to monitor the activities of youth and decrease youth access to alcohol. Recent publications by the Surgeon General and the Institute of Medicine outlined many prevention strategies that will require actions on the national, state, and local levels, such as enforcement of minimum legal drinking age laws, national media campaigns targeting youth and adults, increasing alcohol excise taxes, reducing youth exposure to alcohol advertising, and development of comprehensive community-based programs. These efforts will require continued research and evaluation to determine their success and to improve their effectiveness.

WORKS CITED http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage- drinking.htm http://www.sadd.org/stats.htm http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/teens_al cohol_and_other_drugs http://www.centurycouncil.org/files/images/30-days- 12th-graders.gif