Medically Reviewed by Annamarie Coy, BA, ICPR, MATS
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For young Americans, the adolescent years are a period of change, growth, and exploration. Sometimes this involves experimenting with drugs and alcohol.
Underage drinking accounts for 11 percent of all alcohol consumed in the United States.7 More than 90% of this takes the form of binge drinking.7 Binge drinking is drinking alcohol quickly to get drunk for recreational purposes.
Getting alcohol isn't difficult, and many teens don't recognize the negative health risks. Teenagers may even feel more willing to try alcohol, even binge drink, in spite of health or safety risks.
While contributing factors for early-age drinking vary, from environmental to biological, the consequences of alcohol consumption remain the same.
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Underage drinking is a risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Here are some statistics:
Underage drinking can lead to a variety of consequences.
Short-term side effects include:
In 2011 alone, approximately 188,000 individuals under the age of 21 went to the emergency room for alcohol-related injuries.
Long-term side effects include:
Approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 each year from causes related to underage drinking: this includes 1,900 from car crashes, 1,600 from homicide, 300 from suicide, and hundreds from falls, burns, and drownings.7
Alcohol misuse is the leading cause of death and disability for those aged between 15 and 49.8
Alcohol addiction may manifest as many symptoms and signs. Some of the most common, though, include:
There are social and biological factors that contribute to alcohol abuse and addiction. Since each person is different, the causes for an alcohol use disorder can vary.
Social factors include:
Biological factors include:
According to one study, children of those with a family history of alcoholism were four to ten times more likely to develop alcoholism than those with no family history.7
There are a variety of options for addressing teenage alcohol misuse.
One possible approach is mindfulness therapy, which has shown success with adolescents. Oftentimes adolescent substance abuse originates in their home environment - for this, there are various forms of family therapy available.
Motivational enhancement therapy uses monetary and voucher-based incentives to reduce substance abuse.
Because teenagers (unless they're 18) are not legal adults, compulsory commitment to rehab is an option in some states.
Learn more about other approaches here.
If you believe that your child is at risk, please contact your nearest healthcare professional to seek medical guidance and treatment.
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