Parents Play a Role in Access and Availability

• 69% parents and 63% of teens believe that it is generally easy for underage youth to obtain alcohol.

• In 2006, 31% of youth reported they obtain alcohol from their parents, and 27% reported that they obtain alcohol from other adults.

• In 2009, 55.9% of current drinkers aged 12 to 20 reported that their last use of alcohol in the past month occurred in someone else’s home. And 29.2% reported that it had occurred in their own home.

• 32% of parents and teens surveyed indicated they know of parents who host teen alcohol parties.

• 23% of teens attended a party where alcohol was served to underage youth in the past two months. Of those youth, 12% reported that they drank alcohol at the party.

• 12% of youth maintained that they drank alcohol at the party or they would have drunk if they had attended a party.

• Adolescents drink less and have fewer alcohol-related problems when their parents discipline them consistently and set clear expectations.

Alcohol is Associated with Risky Behavior

• Alcohol use by teens has been linked to delinquent behaviors, including stealing, illicit drug use and problems at home and at school.

• Underage drinking is the leading contributor of death from injuries. Annually, about 5,000 people under 21 die from alcohol-related injuries.

• Underage drinking plays a significant role in increased sexual behavior, including unwanted, unintended and unprotected sexual activity, and sex with multiple partners.

• In a study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 23% (5.6 million) of sexually active teens and young adults ages 15-24 in the United States reported having had unprotected sex because they were drinking or using drugs at the time. Twenty-four percent of teens ages 15-17 said that their alcohol and drug use led them to do more sexually than they had planned.

• Teen girls who binge drink are 63% more likely to get pregnant while in their teen years.

• An estimated 7.2 % of 16 or 17 year olds and 16.7 % of 18 to 20 year olds reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year.

The Consequences of Underage Drinking are Real and Tragic  

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 4,554 underage deaths each year are due to excessive alcohol use.

• Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience physical problems including hangovers, illness and alcohol poisoning, memory problems, disruption of normal growth and sexual development, among others negative effects.

• Among young people, binge drinkers and heavy drinkers are more than twice as likely as non-drinkers to report having attempted to injure themselves or having contemplated or attempted to commit suicide.

• Youth who begin drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse alcohol later in life, than those who begin drinking at or after age 21.

• When drinking is delayed until age 21, a child’s risk of serious alcohol problems is decreased by 70 percent.

• Studies reveal that alcohol consumption by adolescents results in brain damage -possibly permanent -and impairs intellectual development.

• Studies suggest that alcohol use prior to age 21 impairs crucial aspects of youthful brain functioning. In one recent study, heavy-drinking adolescents who had been sober for three weeks still scored 10 percent lower than non-drinking peers on tests requiring verbal and nonverbal recall and skills needed for map reading, geometry, and science.

• A study that followed over 6,500 individuals found that, by the age of 23, those who were drinkers by seventh grade were:

  • more likely than non-drinkers to have "missed work for no good reason,"
  • more likely to be substance-users,
  • more likely to engage in criminal and violent behavior, and

• Between 1.7 and 2.3 times more likely to be weekly or binge drinkers, exhibit signs of alcohol dependence, and experience multiple alcohol problems.