- According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 5,000 people under age 21 die each year because of underage drinking.
- Alcohol accounts for 60 percent of all teen deaths in car accidents. Because alcohol impairs one's ability to make rational decisions, youths who drink are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors that may result in illness, injury or death.
- Common misconceptions regarding alcohol consumption include the beliefs that drinking coffee will sober you up quickly, that small amounts of alcohol won't impair bodily and mental functions and that alcohol is a stimulant and will help you have a good time. In reality, coffee does not have a sobering effect; alcohol impairment depends much on weight, gender and other factors; and alcohol is actually a depressant, not a stimulant.
- To prevent and reduce underage alcohol use, parents, adults, youth, schools, communities and governments need to work collectively to educate teens about the effects alcohol can have. If someone you know has a drinking problem, seek immediate treatment in a drug and alcohol abuse program.
- Drivers who have been drinking are four times more likely to crash and be injured or killed.
