Teen Drinking: Risks, Consequences, And Solutions
Although drinking alcohol is illegal for people under the age of 21 in the United States, alcohol is the most commonly used drug among American teenagers according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Excessive drinking can have long-term health consequences and legal ramifications for young people, and it is not uncommon for teens to lose their lives—underage drinking is responsible for an estimated 3,900 deaths a year.
If you have a teenager and are concerned about their drinking, know that you are not alone. Teen drinking is extremely common, and early interventions can ensure your child learns how to navigate adolescence and young adulthood safely and responsibly. In this article, you will learn the facts about teen drinking and risk factors for teen alcohol abuse, as well as some ways to get support for both you and your teenager.
10 alarming underage drinking statistics
Extensive research shows that underage drinking is not only common, but extremely risky. Below are some key statistics related to underage drinking:
More than 90% of the alcoholic drinks consumed by youth are consumed during binge drinking sessions.
One out of four adults has engaged in binge drinking—before turning 21.
The average age for teenage boys to try alcohol is 11, while the average age for girls is 13.
In a 2017 survey, 19.7% of underaged people from 12 to 20 reported that they consumed alcohol in the past 30 days.
As teenagers grow older, their risk of drinking alcohol increases. The Foundation of Advancing Alcohol Responsibility found that about 16% of 16-year-olds had tried an alcoholic drink while 46% of 20-year-olds admitted to consuming alcohol.
In a 2017 study, almost 61% of teenagers and underage drinkers admitted to engaging in binge drinking during the past month.
Around 10% of high school students drink and drive.
About 85% of teenagers who drink and drive also engage in binge drinking.
Teenagers who start drinking before the age of 15 have a 41% chance of experiencing alcohol dependence as an adult.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that people aged 12 to 20 account for 3.4% of all alcohol consumers in the United States.
What causes teenagers to start drinking alcohol at a young age?
There are a variety of reasons that can lead teenagers to drink alcohol. In some cases, adolescents may simply “feel ready” to try alcohol, while in others, there may be more troubling factors at play. It may be helpful to assess what is causing them to drink alcohol and engage in other risky practices.
Peer pressure
Many teenagers just want to feel like they belong to a group. Teens may make their choices out of a desire to fit in. This can make them vulnerable to peer pressure, which can play a role in the choice to try alcohol or engage in binge drinking. When hanging out at large parties or even with just a few friends, it can be hard to refuse a drink. Some teens choose to drink alcohol at such an event in order to preserve their status or reputation among their peers.
A desire to rebel
Some people go through a rebellious stage during their teenage years. Sometimes, teens turn to alcohol in an attempt to revolt or anger their parents. Teenagers who struggle with anger may also be inclined to try alcohol to cope with negative emotions. Some teenagers also just want to break the rules without thinking of the short- and long-term consequences of underage drinking.
Attempts to self-medicate or escape from their problems
Stress, anger, anxiety, and other challenging emotions can be common among teenagers. Not all teens have a healthy outlet or method for coping with their frustrations. Some teens concurrently experience a mental health disorder, such as depression or ADHD, which can make their teenage years additionally challenging. As a result, some teens turn to alcohol and other drugs in an attempt to self-medicate. This can cause more problems for them down the road.
A lack of understanding of the risks associated with underage drinking
With images of celebrities drinking and TV shows glorifying alcohol consumption, it can be easy for teenagers to forget the risks of alcohol abuse and binge drinking. If a teenager has not been properly educated on the risks, they may be more likely to drink. Similarly, if a teen has not received proper guidance on what it means to drink responsibly, or has been exposed to unhealthy drinking patterns in their household, they may be more susceptible to binge drinking.
Curiosity
Curiosity is often a significant factor in the desire to try alcohol. Children often grow up seeing family members and other adults drink, which may induce a natural curiosity about the taste or effects of alcohol. They may see alcoholic drinks on menus, in advertisements, and at stores and want to understand why alcohol plays such a significant role in Western culture.
Consequences of underage drinking
Underage drinking can bring a variety of negative consequences and health problems to young people, in both the short and long term. The mass of positive alcohol advertising that teens are exposed to can make it very difficult for them to resist the temptation. However, parents, teachers, and physicians can educate teenagers on the dangers of binge drinking and alcohol use.
Issues with brain development
The human brain does not finish developing until roughly 25 years of age. As a result, introducing alcohol to it before this time can have serious consequences on its normal growth process. For instance, alcohol use at a young age can negatively affect the prefrontal cortex, which is thought to control a person’s ability to think clearly and make good decisions. Damage to the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory, can also occur as a result of heavy alcohol use.
Increased risk of developing alcohol dependence
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, teenagers who drink at the age of 13 have a 45% chance of becoming dependent on alcohol as they grow older. However, people who wait until they turn 21 only have a 7% chance of developing alcohol addiction later in life. Binge drinking, which is common among teens, is strongly associated with the development of alcohol use disorder.
Poor academic performance
Researchers have found a strong link between alcohol use and poor school performance. One research study on binge drinking and its connection to academic problems found that students who reported engaging in regular binge drinking were less likely to finish their homework, attend class, and earn high grades.
Death
Thousands of teenagers die each year from alcohol-related car crashes, crimes, and alcohol poisoning:
1,580 deaths from car accidents
1,260 deaths from homicide
245 deaths from alcohol poisoning, falls, drowning, or burns
492 deaths from suicide
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline immediately by visiting their website or texting/calling 988. Free support is available 24/7. Please also see our Get Help Now page for more immediate resources.
Engagement in risky sexual behavior
Underage drinking and engaging in risky behavior are also typically connected. Sexually active teenagers who consume alcohol tend to put themselves at a higher risk of engaging in unprotected sex. As a result, they may be more vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, or more at risk for sexual assault.
Engaging in sexual intercourse while inebriated can be very dangerous and traumatic for teens, which makes education very important to minimize risky behaviors.
How to prevent underage drinking
There are a variety of methods that parents and caregivers can employ to help prevent underage drinking in teenagers. Acting as a positive role model when consuming alcohol may play a role, as teenagers observe the behavior of adults. Educating teenagers on the safety risks and effects of alcohol misuse may also correct any incorrect beliefs and reduce underage drinking tendencies.
Treatment options and solutions for teenagers with alcohol-related challenges
If you have a teenager who is using alcohol, there are plenty of options when it comes to seeking treatment.
Both inpatient and outpatient therapy programs are available to teenagers misusing alcohol. Teenagers may also enroll in peer-based group counseling and personal therapy to help manage their addiction. Having family support can also be important for teens going through rehabilitation. Family therapy may also be a worthwhile consideration.
Takeaway
Do you have a child who is engaging in underage drinking or experiencing mental health challenges? Online mental health counseling might be an effective treatment method for them. The licensed mental health professionals at TeenCounseling can provide counseling completely online, which may be helpful if your teenager is nervous about going to a therapist’s office.
Also, the same support is available for parents of teenagers at BetterHelp, which also offers counseling online. Online therapy has been proven to be just as effective as in-person therapy, and you and your teenager can be matched with a counselor with experience helping people with alcohol-related concerns. Reach out today for more information.
How do you deal with a teen who is drinking?
When you discover that your teen has been drinking, providing appropriate discipline may help prevent the problem in the future. Researchers remain somewhat divided about how much parents can deter adolescent alcohol use. Still, there’s substantial evidence that clear parental disapproval of underage consumption can be a significant factor in making teens less likely to drink.
It’s often best to avoid berating or shaming your child for alcohol use. These tactics may drive a wedge between you, which can be counterproductive — parental warmth and the quality of the parent-child relationship appear to be important for preventing underage drinking.
Instead, you might want to have a calm but firm talk with your teen about why you expect them not to drink. Discussing alcohol’s effects on brain development and the risks of injury and death can make it clear that your rules aren’t arbitrary. Meanwhile, enforcing appropriate consequences for drinking can help to encourage healthy behavior.
You may also want to discuss potential strategies for opting out of alcohol use. It can be helpful to suggest possible responses when friends or peers offer them drinks, such as:
- “I have to get up early tomorrow.”
- “I don’t feel like drinking tonight.”
- “Beer/liquor always makes me feel sick.”
- “I’ve got practice tomorrow.”
- “My parents said they’ll take my phone away if they find out I was drinking.”
- “Coach would take me off the starting lineup if I got caught.”
At the same time, it’s often a good idea to emphasize that your main concern is their safety. Many parents let their teens know that they should never be afraid to call them for help, even if they’ve been drinking.
Persistent underage drinking may need to be addressed with mental health interventions. Clinical studies have found that family therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be particularly effective at addressing youth alcohol use.
Is it OK for my 15 year old to drink?
While it may be particularly dangerous to start drinking before age 15, anyone who starts using alcohol before age 21 can be at risk for a wide range of health problems. Researchers have found that the earlier a person begins drinking, the higher their risk of developing alcohol use disorder (the clinical term for what many people would call an “alcohol problem”). And because adolescence is a crucial stage for brain development, drinking as a teen can lead to measurable impairments in neurological health and cognitive function.
Young people may also be more likely to engage in unhealthy drinking patterns that could put their safety at risk. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), binge drinking is responsible for more than 90% of the alcohol consumed by adolescents. This kind of alcohol misuse can increase the risk of overdoses and make other kinds of unsafe behavior more likely.
What age do youth start drinking?
A variety of factors can affect the age at which people begin using alcohol. Survey suggest that around 60% of Americans had their first drink before age 18, but not all young people start drinking at the same time:
- 29% said their first drink was between ages 16 and 18
- 19% began drinking between ages 13 and 15
- 10% first drank before age 13
These numbers may be changing over time, however. Younger generations report lower levels of underage drinking, with only 41% of people ages 18-24 saying that they started drinking as minors.
What happens if you drink alcohol as a teenager?
The Centers for Disease Control advise that drinking alcohol as a teenager can expose you to a wide range of health and safety risks. These can include:
- Hangovers and alcohol-related illness
- Alcohol poisoning, which can be fatal
- Decreased academic performance
- Less engagement with social and extracurricular activities
- Developmental deficits, potentially including permanently decreased cognitive function
- Impaired memory
- Higher risk of serious injury or death from causes like automobile accidents, drowning, or falls
- Greater chance of experiencing physical violence
- Unsafe sexual activity
- Increased risk of sexual assault and rape
- Behavioral and legal problems
- Use of other substances
- Drinking problems later in life
These risks appear to be significantly higher for adolescents who engage in binge drinking. Those who engage in alcohol misuse as teens are also more likely to carry those behaviors into adulthood.
Why do teens drink alcohol?
Adolescence involves a huge number of changes, both in the life circumstances of young people and in their bodies and brains. Teens generally experience markedly greater levels of independence, increasing their ability to test boundaries and break rules. At the same time, they’re undergoing neurological shifts that may make them more driven to seek rewards without an adult’s ability to accurately assess hazards.
The combination of these factors can make adolescents more prone to sensation-seeking, risk-taking behaviors. This can include a variety of unsafe activities, including the use of other drugs such as cannabis or cocaine, but research suggests that alcohol is still the most widely used substance for teens and young adults.
Additional risk factors can make individual teens more likely to drink, including:
- Favorable beliefs about alcohol use
- Drinking patterns of family members
- Positive parental attitudes toward alcohol use
- Mental health factors such as depression or conduct disorder
- Friends and peers who drink and have positive attitudes toward drinking
- Inherited traits, such as lower impulse control and poor risk assessment
Why do students drink alcohol?
Some of the factors that influence teen drinking may also be related to the school environment. For example, the Centers for Disease Control report that students with higher grades are less likely to drink. This doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a causal relationship, but it’s possible that feeling engaged and excited about school helps reduce the odds that a student will drink.
On the other hand, excessive stress or worry about academics could prompt some students to engage in risky behaviors like alcohol use as a form of stress release. And influence from their peer groups might push some teens to drink who otherwise wouldn’t.
Bullying or abuse from authority figures could also increase the risk of alcohol misuse. Some studies have found that both being bullied and engaging in bullying behavior are associated with an increased likelihood of binge drinking.
How does alcohol affect teens?
Alcohol use in teens can lead to many kinds of undesirable effects. Because alcohol can impair judgment and inhibit risk awareness, it can increase the chances that young people will engage in other unsafe behaviors. They may be more likely to have unplanned or unprotected sexual contact, drive recklessly, attempt dangerous stunts, and ingest other substances. Teens who drink may also be more likely to consume unsafe amounts of alcohol, placing them at greater risk of alcohol poisoning.
Underage drinking may also lead to disciplinary problems, disruptive behavior, and decreased performance in school or sporting activities. And it may form habits that make alcohol use disorder in adulthood more likely.
How does alcohol affect the brain?
Alcohol can change the functioning of several different systems within the brain, and the specific effects may differ depending on dosage. A small amount of alcohol can behave as a stimulant, generating feelings of euphoria while impairing judgment. Consuming higher amounts can disrupt the pathways responsible for functions like movement coordination, speech, sensation, and memory.
At very high doses, alcohol can lead to dizziness, nausea, and unconsciousness, and it may impair breathing and heart rate. For this reason, a high enough overdose of alcohol can be fatal.
Heavy alcohol use can also be neurotoxic, leading to long-term brain changes in repeated alcohol users. According to the Centers for Disease Control, these changes may result in decreased memory, learning, and cognition, as well as mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. These negative effects appear to be more severe in people who begin drinking in adolescence.
Should you let your teenager drink?
Some parents believe that providing alcohol and allowing teenagers to drink in a supervised setting can encourage responsible alcohol use. But the science suggests that this approach may be likely to backfire.
A major 2018 research study found that providing alcohol to teens, even in supervised contexts, was linked with an increased likelihood of adolescent binge drinking, drinking-related harms, and symptoms of alcohol use disorder. Parents who want their children to be less likely to drink may be better off enforcing a policy of “zero alcohol before age 21.”
What is the best negative reinforcement for a teenager?
Different teens may respond better to different disciplinary strategies. However, the most effective negative reinforcements are often those that provide tangible consequences without causing harm or humiliation.
Here are a few types of such consequences that may help your teen get the message that alcohol use is not acceptable:
- Loss of privileges. Removing your child’s reach to enjoyable but non-essential things like video games or television can give them a concrete reason not to misbehave.
- Restricting activities. “Grounding” an adolescent — restricting them to home, school, and sanctioned extracurriculars — may provide a reminder that independence comes with expectations of responsible behavior.
- Adding chores. Assigning your teenager unwanted tasks can be an effective penalty, especially if they’re related to the infraction. For example, you could punish underage drinking by making your child clean up the aftermath of a party by themselves or requiring them to research and write a report on the negative effects of underage drinking.
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