Alcohol Use and Binge Drinking Among Youth

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Alcohol Use and Binge Drinking Among Youth

• Prevention Center
• Puget Sound Educational Service District
• 2003

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Why be concerned about alcohol use when there
are so many dangerous drugs available to our
youth?
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For young people, alcohol is the number one drug
of choice, using alcohol more frequently and
heavily than all other illicit drugs combined.
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Alcohol affects the mind and body in
unpredictable ways and teens lack the judgment
and coping skills to handle alcohol wisely. These
dynamics can have dangerous results.
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Alcohol use by young people is very risky

• Alcohol-related traffic crashes are the number
  one cause of death among teens.
• Alcohol use is also linked with youthful deaths
  by drowning, suicide and homicide.
• An individual who begins drinking as a young teen
  is four times more likely to develop alcohol
  dependence than someone who waits until adulthood
  to use alcohol.

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Teens who use alcohol are more likely to

• become sexually active at earlier ages and to
  have unprotected sex which increases risk of
  pregnancy and STD/HIV.
• be victims of violent crime, including rape,
  aggravated assault and robbery.
• have serious problems with school work and school
  conduct.

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What teens in Washington tell us

• Most teens in Washington who do drink take their
  first drink between the ages of 11 and 13
• More than 60 try alcohol before reaching high
  school
• 52 of Washington high school seniors drink
  alcohol regularly
• Two-thirds of 13-18 year olds say alcohol is easy
  to obtain
• Underage drinkers are most likely to drink at the
  homes of friends or at their own homes
• Among 6th graders who drink, one-half get their
  alcohol at home with their parents knowledge

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Washington teens were asked how wrong do you
think it is for someone your age to drink alcohol
regularly? The following percentage of teens
answered a little bit wrong or not wrong at
all

• 6th graders - 5
• 8th graders - 22
• 10th graders - 41
• 12th graders - 50

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How many Washington teens report binge drinking
on a regular basis?

• 5 of 6th graders
• 15 of 8th graders
• 23 of 10th graders
• 32 of 12th graders

() Consuming 5 or more drinks in a row at least
once in the past 2 weeks
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Frequent binge drinkers are 8 times more likely
than non-binge drinkers to miss classes and
fall behind in school work.
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High blood-alcohol levels associated with binge
drinking increase the risk for

• Alcohol-related injuries or death
• Legal problems
• Unplanned pregnancy
• Transmission of STD, including HIV
• Acquaintance rape

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What percentage of Washington teens believe there
is no risk or only a slight risk to having 5 or
more drinks once or twice each weekend ?

• 20 of students at each grade
• level 6th, 8th, 10th 12th!

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Research shows that teens are much more likely to
delay drinking when they feel they have a close,
supportive tie with a parent or guardian.
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Building a strong, supportive bond

• Make it easy for your teen to talk honestly with
  you.
• Make a point to regularly spend one-on-one time
  with your child.
• Set clear, realistic expectations for behavior
  establish consequences for breaking rules and
  consistently enforce them.

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Talk to your teen about alcohol

• Ask your teen about his/her views about alcohol
  and teen drinking
• Share important facts about how alcohol use can
  create dangerous risks
• Teach your child to analyze and understand how
  the media can glorify alcohol use

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Talk to your teen about alcohol

• Help your teen figure out ways to handle peer
  pressure and other difficult situations
• Establish clear no alcohol rules and
  expectations
• Encourage your child to develop healthy
  friendships and fun alternatives to alcohol

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Parents are the most important influence on
children when it comes to their use of alcohol
and other drugs! Teens say losing their
parents respect is one of the main reasons they
dont drink alcohol or use drugs!
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Free Informational Materials can be ordered
through

• Washington Alcohol/Drug Prevention Clearinghouse
  1-800-788-2800 or www.adhl.org/clearinghouse
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
  Alcoholism [phone] or www.niaaa.nih.gov