The Consequences of Underage Drinking
by: Tom Atwood - May 1, 2006 - comments: 10
Alcohol drinkers are getting younger all the time, and the effects are seen everywhere. Dr. J. Edward Hill, president of the American Medical Association, told the 2005 Annual Texas Institute on Substance Abuse and Treatment that underage drinking costs the U.S. economy $4.7 million every hour, almost $105 million a day, and over $53 billion per year. ABC News reported that college drinking alone contributes to 1400 student deaths, 500,000 injuries, and 70,000 cases of sexual assault. Underage drinking is associated with traffic accidents, school failure, delinquency, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and family conflicts.
The NIH News (9/14/04) stated, “Alcohol is the drug most used by young Americans. The risky behaviors often associated with underage drinking can have devastating and life-long consequences. Forty percent of those who start drinking before age fifteen meet criteria for alcoholism at some point in their lives.” Underage drinkers affect not only their own well-being, but also the health and welfare of those around them.
Joseph A. Califano, former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and currently president of the Center on Alcohol and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), concluded, “Underage drinking has reached epidemic proportions in America.” CASA reported that underage drinkers consume 25 percent of the alcohol consumed in the U.S. and that it “damages the young brain, interferes with mental and social development, and interrupts academic progress.”
A very serious consequence of underage drinking is the part it plays in addiction. Eighty-seven percent of drinking adults began before age twenty-one, and adult alcohol abuse is most common among those who began to drink in their early to mid-teens. In fact, the average age for a new drinker is twelve, and very few adults begin drinking alcohol after they reach the legal age.
More than one parent, in dealing with an intoxicated son or daughter, has said with relief, “I’m glad it’s only alcohol!” They fail to grasp how serious alcohol is. In addition to its immediate effects, alcohol opens the door to greater “highs” with other drugs.
The entertainment industry glamorizes alcohol and seldom realistically depicts the sad effects of abuse. Of eighty-one G-rated animated films, a shocking 34 percent associated alcohol with wealth and 19 percent with sexual activity. Beer advertising appeals to kids by using images such as talking lizards or a rock star ferret. Continued marketing to the very young is critical because two-thirds of alcohol sales are to underage and problem drinkers.
Since drinking is a major factor in the three leading causes of teen death — accidents, homicides, and suicides — then what kind of person supplies it for them? Liquor outlets that sell illegally to teens have always existed, and having an older friend purchase it is common. The business of creating false IDs is very lucrative, especially in college communities.
But CASA reports the sad news that most young drinkers get their alcohol in their own home or in a friend’s home. In fact, younger drinkers identify homes as “the most common setting for drinking.” CASA concludes that teens have easy access to alcohol, and in the end “parents are too often unwitting co-conspirators who see underage drinking and occasional bingeing as a rite of passage rather than a deadly round of Russian roulette.” The AMA’s Dr. Hill equates parental approval of teens drinking at home with parental approval of teen sex parties. These parents, even those who claim to be Christians, are naïve, deceived, or corrupted, and are utterly failing in the basics of properly training a child.
Like all problems affecting our families, teen alcohol use must be lovingly but firmly addressed. Here are some starters:
- Foster strong spiritual health. One analysis found a 58 percent increase in teen drinking where there was a low religious commitment. A Christ-honoring family and a Bible-teaching church are minimal.
- In love, set rules and enforce consequences. Remember, tough love is tough!
- Hold kids accountable for where they go, who their friends are, and what they watch or listen to. Garbage in–garbage out!
- Set a good example. Adults, too, have no need for addictive, mood-altering substances. No one needs alcohol to relax. “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk–not as unwise people but as wise” (Eph. 5:15).
- Use your influence. Make your voice heard in discussions of curbing alcohol ads on TV, listing alcohol as a drug in substance abuse warnings, and holding parents legally liable for the alcohol use of their children.
Tom Atwood is a minister living in Oxford, Mississippi.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Family, Addictions, Substance Abuse, Parenting
comments (post your own) feed
1 On May 12th, 2008, at 4:59pm, aubrie wrote:
i am only fourteen and in my school community i hear about kids including friends of mine getting drunk and not just once… i think it is completely a mistake to start drinking so young, and i wish this wasn’t the epidemic it is.. because of the yearly costs in america alone, we are unable to spend those billions of dollars, used on buying liquor and treatment for alchol-related injuries, on things that truley matter on a global scale…never mind all of the stress, irrritation and problems underage drinking creates…
no GOOD can come from it
2 On Aug 4th, 2008, at 12:31pm, kevin wrote:
i am also 14 and i am a juvenile one night in late may me and to friends of mine snuck out and got drunk and threw eggs at cars. when the cops came we all ran and i was to drunk to get away. I regret ever drinking. i am irish and i come from a family of drinkers and smokers. however i have not taken a sip of the poison since that night and i never will again. some things i do to get my mind of of alcohol is play lacrosse footballbasketball or lift weights with no drugs or alcohol in my system my head is on straight once again
3 On Aug 27th, 2008, at 5:02pm, Kurstin wrote:
I am 15 and I just hate the fact that teens realy thing this to be “cool”? I realy dont know y you would put your body through this at a young age!!! That would be like throwing away all your values and self respect there are so many things that you could do that youd regret later like….loseing your innocents!!!!!!!!!!! As much as I hate it even after all the lectures teen in our school still drink and some die!!!:(
4 On Sep 17th, 2008, at 11:35am, brittani bush wrote:
im 16 years old and my aunt died from alcohol cuz all she did was drink so she basically drunk herself to death and she has 3 kids and they are 10,11,12 all one year apart but anywayz i dont wanna see teens die from drinking and my dad is an alcoholic and my dads been drinking for like years straight and im surprised he is still living but yea write me back…
5 On Nov 24th, 2008, at 12:46pm, brad allen wrote:
im only 19 and i have been to jail 4 times this year and it is all alcohol related
6 On Dec 18th, 2008, at 1:06pm, jakub wrote:
I am an 18 year old Czech living in the US and drinking is a part of my culture. I have been taught to drink responsibly from a young age and occasionally enjoy alcohol with friends and family. I agree that alcohol can cause terrible things and know people who have gotten in trouble because of it; however, banning alcohol until 21 and making more severe consequences is not the answer to problematic drinking. European countries who introduce alcohol at an earlier age do not have nearly as many problems as the United States does. Also, people who are taught by their parents during teen years to drink responsibly make much better and informed decisions then the people who do it to spite parents or in an uninformed way once they are twenty one. I heard of a person who drank 21 shots on their 21 birthday and died. The drinking age needs to be lowered and people need to be taught to enjoy responsibly. Alcohol is not the demon it is made out to be, it can be a healthy and fun part of life.
7 On Jan 22nd, 2009, at 6:02pm, ashley wrote:
i am 14 and i have been in trouble for drinking. i have ta tell you guys its stupid. i dont want ta live my life this way. my dad is ab alcoholic and drug addict i dont want ta end up like that. so ta add ta that dont drink untill your legal
8 On Mar 2nd, 2009, at 12:32pm, Amber wrote:
Why would you wawnt to lower the age of drinking to 18 so that all the teenagers want to get the alcohol and get into alot of car wrack’s and kill people that are not doing anything wrong and their kids….
9 On Mar 3rd, 2009, at 9:35pm, jakub wrote:
Well, if you want to looks at statistics, there are less drunk driving accidents in countries that have a lower drinking age. Also, I believe that the government should have as little say as possible in people’s personal lives, therefore it should be up the the parent whether or not a child can drink until they are of age: 18. If a person is mature enought to carry around a gun, then they can figure out how to drink responcibly once they are 18.
10 On Mar 31st, 2009, at 9:07am, taylor wrote:
I am amazed at the ignorance of “some” these comments. Use correct grammar and maybe people can respect what you say. The minimum legal drinking age of 21 is obviously not successful if 4,600 youth die each year to alcohol. If we taught responsible consumption of alcohol then our society would be much safer. How can you tell an 18 year old they can go to war but that they aren’t mature enough to consume alcohol? Remember prohibition? It still doesn’t work.