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How to Talk to Your College Student About the Dangers of Drugs and Alcohol
Weed Out Fact From Fiction About Underage Alcohol and Marijuana Use (MADD)
Underage drinking: Talking to your teen about alcohol (Mayo Clinic Staff)
http://powerofyouth.com teen-focused website aimed at sharing the real dangers of drinking underage and how to stand strong in their commitment of no drinking before the age of 21.
Facts About Underage DrinkingAlcohol Dependence or Abuse and Age at First UseApproximately 10% of 9- to 10-year-olds have started drinking.
Nearly one-third of youth begin drinking before age 13.
1 Persons reporting first use of alcohol before age 15 are more than 5
times as likely to report past-year alcohol dependence or abuse than
persons who first used alcohol at age 21 or older (16 vs. 3%).
2 Underage Drinking Among College Students
An estimated 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24
die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including
motor vehicle crashes. Approximately 600,000 students are
unintentionally injured while under the influence of alcohol.
3 Approximately 700,000 students are assaulted by other students
who have been drinking.
3 About 100,000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault
or date rape.
3 Young adults aged 18 to 22 enrolled full-time in college were
more likely than their peers not enrolled full-time (i.e., part-time
college students and persons not currently enrolled in college)
to use alcohol in the past month, binge drink, or drink heavily.
Past-month alcohol use was reported by 66.4% of full-time college
students compared with 54.1% of persons aged 18 to 22 who
were not enrolled full-time. Binge and heavy-use rates for college
students were 45.5 and 19.0%, respectively, compared with 38.4
and 13.3%, respectively, for 18- to 22-year-olds not enrolled full
time in college.
4 Binge Drinking Among Underage Youth
In 2006, about 10.8 million persons aged 12 to 20 (28.3% of
this age group) reported drinking alcohol in the past month.
Approximately 7.2 million (19.0%) were binge drinkers, and 2.4
million (6.2%) were heavy drinkers. These figures have remained
essentially the same since the 2002 survey.
5 When youth drink, they tend to drink intensively, often consuming
four to five drinks at one time. Monitoring The Future (MTF) data
show that 11% of 8th graders, 22% of 10th graders, and 29% of
12th graders had engaged in heavy episodic—or binge—drinking
within the past 2 weeks. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking as a pattern of
drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration [BAC] to
.08 grams or above. For the typical adult, this pattern corresponds
to consuming five or more drinks for men, or four or more drinks
for women, in about 2 hours.
6 Nationwide, 25.5% of students had had more than 5 drinks of
alcohol in a row (i.e., within a couple of hours) on more than 1 of
the 30 days preceding the survey (i.e., heavy episodic drinking).
7 Alcohol Use and Adolescent Development
Alcohol is the drug of choice among America’s adolescents, used by
more young people than tobacco or illicit drugs.
8 Children of alcoholics (COAs) are between 4 and 10 times more
likely to become alcoholics than children from families with no
alcoholic adults. COAs are at elevated risk for earlier onset of
drinking and earlier progression into drinking problems.
9 Among 8th graders, 30-day prevalence of alcohol use has declined
by more than one-third since its peak level in 1996. Among 10th
and 12th graders, the proportional declines from recent peaks have
been smaller—one-sixth among 10th graders since 2000 and oneseventh
among 12th graders since 1997.
10 In 2006, the prevalence of being drunk at least once in the prior
month stands at 6% of 8th graders, 19% of 10th graders, and
30% of 12th graders.
11 Past 30-day prevalence of the use of flavored alcoholic beverages
(sometimes called “alcopops” or “malternatives”) was at slightly
lower levels in 2006 in all grades than in 2005, having declined by
1.1 percentage points among 8th graders and 3.7 percentage points
among 12th graders.
12 Health and Safety Risks of Underage Drinking
Underage drinking is a risk factor for heavy drinking later in life,
and continued heavy use of alcohol leads to increased risk across
the lifespan for acute consequences and for medical problems such
as cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx, and esophagus; liver
cirrhosis; pancreatitis; and hemorrhagic stroke.
13 Underage drinking is a leading contributor to death from injuries,
which are the main cause of death for people under age 21.
Annually, about 5,000 people under age 21 die from alcoholrelated
injuries involving underage drinking. About 1,900 (38%) of
the 5,000 deaths involve motor vehicle crashes, about 1,600 (32%)
result from homicides, and about 300 (6%) result from suicides.
14 Youth who report drinking before the age of 15 are more likely
than those who begin drinking later in life to have other substance
abuse problems during adolescence; to engage in risky sexual
behavior; and to be involved in car crashes, unintentional injuries,
and physical fights after drinking, both during adolescence and in
adulthood.
15 Underage drinking plays a significant role in risky sexual behavior,
including unwanted, unintended, and unprotected sexual activity,
and sex with multiple partners. Such behavior increases the risk
for unplanned pregnancy and for contracting sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs), including infection with HIV/AIDS.
16 Among the 33.9% of currently sexually active students nationwide,
23.3% had drunk alcohol or used drugs before their last incidence
of sexual intercourse.
17 National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
244 East 58th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022
phone: 212/269-7797 fax: 212/269-7510
email: national@ncadd.org http://www.ncadd.org
HOPE LINE: 800/NCA-CALL (24-hour Affiliate referral)
Underage alcohol use increases the risk of physical and sexual
assault, academic failure, illicit drug use, and tobacco use; and can
cause a range of physical consequences, from hangovers to death
from alcohol poisoning. It can cause alterations in the structure and
function of the developing brain, which continues to mature into
the mid- to late-twenties, and may have consequences reaching far
beyond adolescence.
18 About 45% of people who die in crashes involving a drinking
driver under the age of 21 are people other than the driver.
19 An estimated 7.9% of 16- or 17-year-olds, 19.7% of 18- to
20-year-olds, and 27.3% of 21- to 25-year-olds reported driving
under the influence of alcohol in the past year.
20 Cost of Underage Drinking
The economic cost of underage drinking is estimated to be nearly
$62 billion. Underage drinking accounted for at least 16% of
alcohol sales in 2001.
21 Underage Drinking by Gender and Ethnic Origin
Among persons aged 12 to 20, past-month alcohol-use rates
were 18.6% among blacks, 19.7% among Asians, 25.3% among
Hispanics, 27.5% among those reporting two or more races,
31.3% among American Indians or Alaska Natives, and
32.3% among whites. The 2006 rate for American Indians or
Alaska Natives is higher than the 2005 rate of 21.7%.
22 Among youths aged 12 to 17 in 2006, Asians and blacks had the
lowest rates of past-month alcohol use. Only 7.6% of Asian youths
and 10.5% of black youths were current drinkers, while 15.3%
of Hispanic youths, 16.2% of those reporting two or more races,
19.2% of white youths, and 20.5% of American Indian or Alaska
Native youths were current drinkers.
23 Among persons aged 12 to 20, binge drinking was reported by
23.6% of American Indians or Alaska Natives, 22.7% of whites,
20.7% of persons reporting two or more races, and 16.5% of
Hispanics, but only by 11.8% of Asians and 8.6% of blacks. The
2006 rate among Asians is higher than the 2005 rate of 7.4%.
24 By age 15, approximately 50% of boys and girls have had a whole
drink of alcohol; by age 21, approximately 90% have done so.
25 More males than females aged 12 to 20 reported current alcohol
use (29.2 vs. 27.4%, respectively), binge drinking (21.3 vs. 16.5%),
and heavy drinking (7.9 vs. 4.3%) in 2006.
26 What Is NCADD? NCADD
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
(NCADD), founded in 1944, is a voluntary health organization.
Through our National Network of Affiliates, NCADD provides
education, prevention, training, information, referral, intervention,
treatment, and recovery support services. NCADD advocates
for education, prevention, treatment, research, and the rights of
persons and families affected by the disease of alcoholism and drug
dependence.
Sources
1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the
Surgeon General. March 2007.
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action
To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking
, p. 6. Retrieved from
www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/calltoaction.pdf.
2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied
Studies. October 22, 2004. The NSDUH Report, Alcohol dependence
or abuse and age at first use. Retrieved from
www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k4/ageDependence/ageDependence.htm.
3 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the
Surgeon General. March 2007.
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action
To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking
, p. 13. Retrieved from
www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/calltoaction.pdf.
4 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied
Studies. 2007. Results from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health: National Findings. Retrieved from
http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k6NSDUH/2k6results.cfm#Ch3.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the
Surgeon General. March 2007.
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action
To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking
, p. 1. Retrieved from
www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/calltoaction.pdf.
9 Ibid., pp. 13-14
10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes
of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse. 2006 Monitoring the
Future Survey. Retrieved from
www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/overview2006.pdf.
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid.
13 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the
Surgeon General. March 2007.
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action
To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking
, p. 11. Retrieved from
www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/calltoaction.pdf.
14 Ibid., p. 10.
15 Ibid., p. 12.
16 Ibid., p. 10.
17 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. 2006. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—
United States, 2005. Retrieved from
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/SS/SS5505.pdf.
18 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the
Surgeon General. March 2007.
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action
To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking
, p. 11. Retrieved from
www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/calltoaction.pdf.
19 Ibid., p. 11
20 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied
Studies. 2007. Results from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health: National Findings. Retrieved from
http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k6NSDUH/2k6results.cfm#Ch3.
21 Miller, T. R.; Levy, D. T.; Spicer, R. S.; and Taylor, D. M. 2006.
Abstract: Societal costs of underage drinking.
Journal of Studies on
Alcohol, 67
, issue 4, pgs. 519-528. Retrieved from
www.pire.org/detail2.asp?core=38160&cms=50.
22 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied
Studies. 2007. Results from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health: National Findings. Retrieved from
http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k6NSDUH/2k6results.cfm#Ch3.
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid.
25 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the
Surgeon General. March 2007.
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action
To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking
, p. 3. Retrieved from
www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/calltoaction.pdf.
26 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied
Studies. 2007. Results from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health: National Findings. Retrieved from
http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k6NSDUH/2k6results.cfm#Ch3.