The Sobering Statistics

If you don't think alcohol use is a problem among adolescents (especially when compared to other drugs), you should think again.

Prevalence of Alcohol Use

• At 10.8 million users (or 28.2% of this population), alcohol is the most commonly used drug among teenagers age 12-20—more than tobacco or illicit drugs
  
• 31% of kids who said they had been drunk in the past year had parents who believed their children were nondrinkers
  
• An astounding one fifth (22.5%) of 8th graders and more than half (58%) of 12th graders report having been drunk at least once in their life
  
• 22.5% before the age of 13 have had their first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips, and 36.7% have had five or more drinks in one sitting(binge drinking) in the ONE Voice community
  
• Self-reports by United States students in grades 8-12 show that 29% of 12th graders, 22% of 10th graders, and 11% of 8th graders have engaged in binge drinking (five or more drinks of alcohol in a row)

Risks of Alcohol Use

• Children who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to become alcohol dependent than those who start after age 21
  
• Six times more children are killed by alcohol than all illegal drugs combined
  
• Alcohol is linked to as many as two-thirds of all sexual assaults and date rapes of teens and college students
  
• Alcohol use among youth is strongly correlated with violence, risky sexual behavior, and poor academic performance
  
• Adolescent drinkers perform worse in school, are more likely to fall behind and have an increased risk of social problems, depression, suicidal thoughts and violence