11 Facts about Teens and Alcohol
- The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years for boys and 13 years for girls.
- By age 14, 41% of children have had least one drink.
- The average age at which Americans begin drinking regularly is 15.9 years old.
- Teens who begin drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21.
- An early age of drinking onset is also associated with alcohol-related violence not only among persons under age 21 but among adults as well.
- It’s estimated that over three million teenagers are out-and-out alcoholics. Several million more have a serious drinking problem that they cannot manage on their own.
- Annually, more than 5,000 deaths of people under age 21 are linked to underage drinking.
- Various studies have found that 44% of students attending 4-year colleges drink alcohol at the binge level or greater.
- Every year, an estimated 30,000 college students require medical treatment after overdosing on alcohol.
- Annually, 400,000 students between the ages 18 and 24 engage in unprotected sex while drunk and say they wouldn't have done it had they been sober.
- The three leading causes of death for 15- to 24-year-olds are automobile crashes, homicides and suicides -- alcohol is a leading factor in all three.
Sources:
Harvard School of Public Health
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