Teens & Alcohol Facts

Teens use alcohol for a number of reasons, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Peer pressure, the influence of their parents, their inherent personality traits and heredity all play a part in teens' decisions about whether to drink.

Prevalence of Teen Alcohol Use

• According to Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD), 75 percent of all high school students try alcohol before they graduate from high school. About 41 percent of all eighth-graders have tried alcohol.

Teen Alcohol Abuse

• Male adolescents are more likely to abuse alcohol than females, according to SADD. Teens who drink alcohol are more likely to become alcoholics as adults than those who do not drink in their teen years.

Binge Drinking

• Binge drinking involves drinking four or more drinks in a short period of time. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports on a study that found 22 percent of tenth-graders and 29 percent of twelfth-graders had engaged in binge drinking in the past two weeks.

Health Risks

• The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports numerous health risks related to teen drinking, including liver disease, changes in the brain that affect long-term memory and thinking skills, obesity and abnormal organ development. Teens who engage in binge drinking risk alcohol poisoning, as well.

Teen Drunk Driving

• SADD reports that in 2005, 28 percent of all teens killed in car crashes had been drinking. Boys die in alcohol-related car accidents more often than girls.