Underage Drinking Statistics
Underage drinking statistics make it clear that alcohol is the most abused substance among U.S. youth. In 2015, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed some startling facts that showed thirty-three percent of high school students had alcoholic drinks in the 30 days prior to the survey, eighteen-percent binge drank, eight-percent drove after drinking alcohol, and twenty-percent rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol. Underage drinking is a national problem.
Underage Drinking Statistics Reveal Discouraging Facts
Underage Drinking Statistics
The dangers of underage drinking include aggressive behavior, injuries, rape, property damage, violent actions, and deaths that occur from drunk driving car crashes. The consequences affect families, friendships, schools, and communities. There are a number of underage drinking statistics that point to the seriousness of the issues related to youth and alcohol abuse.
- Each year, over 4,300 deaths result from underage drinking.
- Eleven-percent of alcoholic beverages in the US are consumed by drinkers aged 12 to 20.
- More than ninety-percent of the alcohol consumed by underage drinkers qualifies as binge drinking
- Nearly 2,000 annual visits to the emergency room occur as the result of underage drinking.
- One out of six teens engage in binge drinking.
- By the age of 20, nearly seventy-percent of young people have participated in heavy drinking.
- The percentage of young females drinking is only one-percent less than that of young males.
- Thirty-five-percent of underage drinkers obtain alcohol from an unrelated person over the age of 21.
- Fifty-three-percent obtain their alcohol from family and friends.
These disturbing statistics on underage drinking confirm the problem is growing. Many parents don’t believe or accept the fact their teens are involved. Educating the community to the dangers of underage drinking is a task that is desperately needed in every state.
Causes Of Teenage Drinking
There are many reasons that can cause young person to take the first drink. Peer pressure may be the number one reasons most young people take the first drink because they don’t want to be laughed at, rejected by friends, or bullied. There are a number of other reasons that attract teens to alcohol and encourage them to keep drinking. Sometimes young people are mimicking their parent’s behavior.
Many parents have a drink in their hand when they watch television with their kids. Parents come home from work, and the first thing they want is a drink to relieve the stress. Children are aware of what their parents do. If alcohol relieves stress for adults, they assume it will do the same for them. When a teen is as tall or taller than their parents, he or she feels grown up enough to engage in adult activities without realizing the danger.
Other causes of teenage drinking include curiosity, boredom, rebellion against authority, and often for self-medication. Each of these excuses to play around with alcohol places lives at risk. Better Addiction Care (BAC) can help families and youth with alcohol abuse issues. BAC is a free addiction care referral service that will connect you with the right facility for your child. Call BAC at (800) 429-7690 and discuss your situation with a trained addiction counselor, and get the help you need.
College Drinking Statistics
Underage college drinking is a serious public health problem. Too many youth believe drinking at college is no more than a “rite of passage” from teenager to adult. Unfortunately, this way of thinking is taking a toll on students intellectual and social lives. College drinking statistics paint a bleak picture of what is happening with alcohol abuse on campus.
Researchers estimate 1,825 students (ages 18-24) die each year from alcohol-related injuries including car crashes. In the same report it is estimated nearly 696,00 students in the same age group are assaulted by a drinking student. Nearly 97,000 students report (18-24) report they were victims if an alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.
Better Addiction Care can help you get your high school or college student back on track before he or she suffers a serious consequence from drinking. Life altering accidents and crime convictions can destroy an otherwise promising career and future. Call BAC today at (800) 429-7690 and let them assist you with finding an addiction care facility that offers just what your child needs to reclaim their life.