Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among youth in the United States, and creates a major public health problem. People aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States—mostly in the form of binge drinking. On average, underage drinkers consume more drinks per drinking occasion than adult drinkers. In 2008, there were approximately 190,000 emergency rooms visits by persons under age 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.
Not only does the amount of youth binge drinking contribute to high health care and related costs due to injury and overdose, it also has long-term consequences. Youth who start drinking before age 15 years are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse later in life than those who begin drinking at or after age 21 years. In 2006, Boston University scientists analyzed data from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) and concluded that individuals who began drinking in their early teens were not only at greater risk of developing alcohol dependence at some point in their lives, they were also at greater risk of developing dependence more quickly and at younger ages, and of developing chronic, relapsing dependence. Among all respondents who developed alcoholism at some point, almost half (47 percent) met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence (alcoholism) by age 21.
The Surgeon General and the Institute of Medicine outlined many community-based prevention strategies that will require actions on the national, state, and local levels. Efforts include enforcement of minimum legal drinking age laws, national media campaigns targeting youth and adults, increasing alcohol excise taxes, reducing youth exposure to alcohol advertising, and development of comprehensive community-based programs. Prevention also requires parental monitoring of teen activities, engaging in conversation with them about the consequences of use, and setting clear and consistent family rules about its use. Leadership READS is a nationwide endeavor to facilitate parents’ learning about several techniques to minimize the risk of their children using alcohol and other drugs. It can be used by communities to get parents talking together about preventing underage drinking. It can be accessed for free at www.alcoholfreechildren.org .
Children and communities everwhere, deserve local leadership on this issue.