Underage Drinking

Underage drinking is when anyone under the age of 21 is consuming an alcoholic beverage. Consuming or possessing alcohol under the age of twenty-one is a serious crime. There are multiple charges for youth and adults dealing with consuming alcoholic beverages.

Alcohol is the drug of choice among students in Allegany County based on the 2017 Risk and Protect Survey results from Allegany County schools.

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Issues Brought on by Alcohol Use

Problems at School – Alcohol use leads to bad grades, absenteeism and higher rates of school dropout.

Legal Trouble – consuming or possessing alcohol under the age of 21 is illegal.

Health Issue – people who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependency, which can lead to liver disease and cancer.

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Unplanned Pregnancies and STDs – Higher levels of alcohol use are associated with unplanned or unprotected sexual activity among adolescents. This means an increased risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Violence – 95% of of violent crimes on college campuses are alcohol-related. The majority of college rapes(95%) involve alcohol use by either the victim and/or the assailant. More than 70,000 students between the ages of 18-25 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape.

Accidents – 9 out of 10 teenage automobile accidents involve the use of alcohol.

Death – Alcohol use among teens is associated with the 3 most common causes of teenage deaths: accidental deaths e.g. car crashes, homicides, and suicides. On average 8 teenagers a day in the U.S. die in an alcohol-related automobile crash.