April is Alcohol Awareness Month and, as such, is an excellent time to raise awareness about the impact of alcohol and underage drinking on our communities. It's also an excellent time to remind our communities about social host laws that reduce the prevalence of underage drinking. Below are some key facts about underage drinking.
30 percent of high school students drank some amount of alcohol
14 percent of high school students binge drank
17 percent of high school students rode with someone who had been drinking alcohol
6 percent of high school students drove after drinking alcohol
Underage drinking isn't harmless. It contributes to more than
4,300 deaths of underage youth in the U.S. annually, costs the U.S. $24 billion in economic costs, and is linked to more than 119,000 emergency room visits by underage people.
As caring adults and educators, we can help prevent underage drinking. We can reduce the prevalence of underage drinking, and we can delay the onset of use for alcohol. We encourage you to use any of our resources at
preventionactionalliance.org to start conversations with your kids, your community, or others in your network about alcohol.