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Think alcohol is harmless? Think again =>
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Fact Sheets - Underage Drinking

Underage Drinking

Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States.1

Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year, and cost the U.S. $24 billion in economic costs in 2010.2,3

Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States.4

More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinks.4

On average, underage drinkers consume more drinks per drinking occasion than adult drinkers.5

In 2010, there were approximately 189,000 emergency rooms visits by persons under age 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.6

Drinking Levels among Youth

The 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey7 found that among high school students, during the past 30 days

33% drank some amount of alcohol.
18% binge drank.
8% drove after drinking alcohol.
20% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.

Other national surveys

In 2015, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 20% of youth aged 12 to 20 years drink alcohol and 13% reported binge drinking in the past 30 days.8

In 2015, the Monitoring the Future Survey reported that 10% of 8th graders and 35% of 12th graders drank during the past 30 days, and 5% of 8th graders and 17% of 12th graders binge drank during the past 2 weeks.9

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.

https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm