UNDERAGE DRINKING
Underage drinking has been and continues to be a major public health problem for youth. More youth use alcohol than cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other illicit drugs. Survey data show that 17% of 8th, 34% of 10th, and 45% of 12th graders admitted drinking an alcoholic beverage in the 30-day period prior to the survey. Nearly 93% of 12th graders say alcohol is easy to obtain. (Monitoring the Future 2006).
Exacerbating the problem is the social norm that alcohol use is a relatively harmless rite of passage. Many adults underestimate or ignore the problems associated with alcohol use with the exception of drunk driving. Underage drinking does increase the risk for traffic fatalities, but it also leads to unprotected and unplanned sex, sexual assault, alcohol poisoning and other injuries, poor academic performance, and lifelong dependence on alcohol. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reports that each year about 5,000 youth under age 21 die as a result of underage drinking, including 1900 from motor vehicle crashes, 1600 from homicides, 300 from suicides and hundreds more from other unintentional injuries (see NIAAA link below and Data page for more information).
General Sources on Underage Drinking and Prevention Strategies:
Monitoring the Future (MTF) is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of American secondary school students, college students, and young adults. MTF provides trend data on the use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students. Available online at www.monitoringthefuture.org
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2004). Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility, Washington DC, National Archives Press. Compilation of data and research on the extent of the problem, its impact, and strategies for prevention. Available online at: www.nap.edu/books/0309089352/html
USDHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) (2007). The Surgeon General's Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2007. Underage drinking continues to be a major substance abuse problem for youth, prompting the US Surgeon General to issue a report summarizing the work on this problem to date and calling for a continued and aggressive effort to address it. Available online through NIAAA Underage Drinking Research Initiative at www.niaaa.nih.gov/AboutNIAAA/NIAAASponsoredPrograms/underage.htm
USDHHS. SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, age 12 and older. It is currently conducted by SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies (OAS). Correlates in OAS reports include the following: age, gender, pregnancy status, race/ethnicity, education, employment, geographic area, frequency of use, and association with alcohol, tobacco, & illegal drug use. Available online at: www.oas.samhsa.gov/nsduhLatest.htm
