Underage Drinking: Start Talking Before They Start Drinking

Underage Drinking

Many kids start drinking in middle school.¹

> One out of every two 8th graders has tried alcohol.²
> More kids use alcohol than use tobacco or illicit drugs.³
> More children are killed by alcohol than all illegal drugs combined.⁴
> Children who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 15 are 5 times more likely than those who start after age 21 to develop alcohol problems.⁵
> The chances of becoming dependent decrease by 14% for each year of delay in the onset of alcohol use.⁶

Alcohol and Judgement

The teenage brain is still developing. Alcohol can impair the parts of the brain that control the following:⁷

> Motor coordination. This includes the ability to walk, drive and process information.
> Impulse control. Drinking lowers inhibitions and increases the chances that a person will do something that they will regret when they are sober.
> Memory. Impaired recollection and even blackouts can occur when too much alcohol has been consumed.
> Judgement and decision making capacity. Drinking may lead young people to engage in risky behaviors that can result in illness, injury, and even death.⁸

Risks

Alcohol use among youth is strongly correlated with
violence, risky sexual behavior, poor academic performance and other harmful behaviors.¹⁰

VIOLENCE

> Children who start drinking before age 15 are 12 times more likely to be injured while under the influence of alcohol and 10 times more likely to be in a fight after drinking, compared with those who wait until they are 21.¹¹

SEXUAL ACTIVITY

> Alcohol use by teens is a strong predictor of both sexual activity and unprotected sex.¹²
> A survey of high school students found that 18% of females and 39% of males say it is acceptable for a boy to force sex if the girl is high or drunk.¹³

SCHOOL

> Teens who use alcohol have higher rates of academic problems and poor performance than non-drinkers.¹⁴
> Among eighth-graders, higher truancy rates are associated with greater rates of alcohol use in the past month.¹⁵

ILLICIT DRUG USE

> More than 67% of young people who start drinking before the age of 15 will try an illicit drug. Children who drink are 7.5 times more likely to use any illicit drug, more than 22 times more likely to use marijuana, and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than children who never drink.¹⁶

DRIVING

> When young people drink and get into a car, they tend to make poor decisions that impact their safety.¹⁷
> Traffic crashes are the number one killer of teens and over one-third of teen traffic deaths are alcohol-related.¹⁸

Family Influence

“What parents may not realize is that children say that parental disapproval of underage drinking is the key reason they have chosen not to drink.”

Charles Curie, SAMHSA Administrator
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

You have more influence over your children than you may realize. Kids spend a lot of time with friends, television, music and magazines. But they are also tuned in to you. Your words and actions impact them in many ways every day.

>Research studies indicate that children are less likely to drink when their parents are involved in their lives and when they and their parents report feeling close to each other.²⁰
> You can influence your children’s behavior by observing the rules of a moderate drinker or by not drinking.²¹
> Your older children also influence their younger brothers and sisters. Older siblings’ alcohol use can influence the alcohol use of younger siblings in the family, particularly for same sex siblings.²²

For adults who choose to drink, moderation is defined as no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men.23

Your children need information to make good decisions. Don’t wait until a problem arises to talk to them about drinking alcohol. Be sure to tell your child:

THE BODY²⁴
> With the first sip of alcohol, the drinker is affected.
> Alcohol passes through the lining of the stomach into the bloodstream. It irritates the stomach lining, which can make a person feel sick. If drinking continues, the person may vomit.
> Alcohol moves through the bloodstream to every organ in the body, including the brain.
> Once alcohol enters the brain, it changes the way a person behaves. Alcohol can make people do things they do not want to do.
> As a person drinks more alcohol, the ability to make decisions is affected. The drinker also may lose balance and be unable to see or speak clearly. The more alcohol a person drinks, the worse the effects can be.
> Alcohol can have lasting effects on the brain, impairing how a person learns, thinks, and remembers.
> Alcohol can kill. When a person drinks too much alcohol in a very short period, alcohol poisoning can occur. Breathing gets difficult. A person can vomit, pass out, or even die.
> Some people get addicted to alcohol. They drink more and more as they get used to the alcohol. But they can stop and recover.

PEERS
> Children often think that other people their age are drinking regularly, but most are not.²⁵
> Alcohol can hurt your child—even if he or she is not the one drinking. If your child is around people who are drinking, he or she has an increased risk of being seriously injured or affected by violence. At the very least, your child may have to deal with someone who is sick, out of control, or unable to take care of themselves.²⁶
> As children get older, some of their friends may start drinking, and may get into trouble from drinking too much. Tell your child that there is help for people who have alcohol problems. It is OK to get help.

THE LAW
> It is illegal for anyone to buy or possess alcohol until 21 years of age.
> Even one drink can cause a person to fail a breath test. In some states, people under age 21 who have been drinking can have their driver’s license suspended, be subject to a heavy fine, or have their car permanently taken away.²⁷