Here are some facts and statistics researchers have discovered about kids and teens who drink:
- In the United States, underage drinkers consume 3.6 billion drinks each year. That adds up to $22.5 billion dollars worth of booze!1
Did you know…
Underage drinkers make lots of money for the alcohol industry!
They consume 19.7 per cent of the alcohol sold in the United States.2 (Favourite choice? Beer.)
Do the math…
< 15 X 4 = Alcohol Problems
- Teenagers who start drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become addicted to alcohol than those who don't drink until they're 21 or older.3
- The kids most at risk for a lifetime of problems with alcohol are those who start drinking between the ages of 11 and 14.4
- In Canada, one fifth of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are heavy drinkers. Though they make up only 2 per cent of the adult population, they consume about 11 per cent of the total beer sold.5 (That's $815 million dollars worth!)
Other facts...
- Sixty-six per cent of Ontario students from Grades 7 to 12 drink alcohol each year.6
- Forty per cent of Ontario Grade 7 students have tried alcohol.7 (In the U.S. 47 per cent of Grade 8 students have tried alcohol.8)
And the final fact?
Alcohol often plays a role in the four leading causes of death among 10-24-year olds: car crashes, accidents, murder and suicide.9
1. Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth <http://camy.org>.
2. "Underage and Adult Excessive Drinking Accounts for Half of U.S. Alcohol Sales," press release, February 25, 2003. National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University <http://www.casacolumbia.org/absolutenm/templates/PressReleases.aspx?articleid=262&zoneid=46>.
3. "Teen Tipplers: America's Underage Drinking Problem," 2003. National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
4. National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, February 25, 2003.
5. Ibid. p. 6.
6. Diane McKenzie, "Under the Influence? The Impact of Alcohol Advertising on Youth," 2000. Association to Reduce Alcohol Promotion in Ontario <http://www.apolnet.ca/resources/pubs/rpt_AdImpactYouth.pdf> (PDF).
7. Ibid. p. 2.
8. L.D Johnston, P.M. O’Malley and J.G. Bachman, "Characteristics of Underage Drinking. Excerpts from ‘Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility,’ a 2004 report of the National Academies,” 2004. Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth <http://camy.org/factsheets/index.php?FactsheetID=17>.
9. "Summary: Youth Exposure to Alcohol Advertising," 2003. Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth <http://camy.org/factsheets/print.php?FactsheetID=18>.
