Statistics, Quick Facts, and Consequences

According to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 35%  of high school teens have drank some amount of alcohol in the last thirty days. For a class size of 30, that means ten and a half of them had partaked in underage drinking! Do you realize how high that is! Likewise, 21% binge drank, 10% drove after drinking, and 22% rode with a driver who had been drinking. These numbers are so horendous its concerning. Do not get in the car with someone who is under the influence. I repeat, do not get in the car with someone who is under the influence! You may save your own life waiting a few minutes in the cold for your parents to come scoop you up.



While researching this topic I came across this list and thought it was interesting. It is from the cite: http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm

"Consequences of Underage Drinking

Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience

• School problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades.
• Social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities.
• Legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk.
• Physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses.
• Unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity.
• Disruption of normal growth and sexual development.
• Physical and sexual assault.
• Higher risk for suicide and homicide.
• Alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries, such as burns, falls, and drowning.
• Memory problems.
• Abuse of other drugs.
• Changes in brain development that may have life-long effects.
• Death from alcohol poisoning."

Teen Drinking Collage

Here's a collage I made about teen drinking.

Health Risks to Underage Drinking

As a teenager, your body is still developing. Your brain is expanding and filling itself in. Many environmental and gentic factors can influence your brain's development. Specifically, underage drinking can have significant long term impacts. "Research has shown that animals fed alcohol during this critical developmental stage continue to show long-lasting impairment from alcohol as they age (47). It’s simply not known how alcohol will affect the long-term memory and learning skills of people who began drinking heavily as adolescents."  Alcohol will effect your performance in school. Yes, you're more likely to get an "A" if you don't engage in underage drinking. In addition to affecting your brain, alcohol affects your liver and endocrine glands. Alcohol can lead to liver damage and weight gain. it can upset the critical balance of hormones for the development of your organs, muscles and bones. Drink alcohol, risk developmental damage. Drink milk, grow strong bones.