PPAC Central
Alcohol….It’s Not All That.
Don’t let glitzy alcohol advertising fool you: drinking is anything but cool. But it can ruin a pretty cool thing: your life. That’s why a majority of young people don’t drink.
It’s against the law to drink if you’re UNDER 21. Underage drinking can land you in jail, and it causes:
Serious Health Problems
People who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependency, which can lead to liver disease and forms to cancer.
Violence and Problems with the Law
Alcohol use among teens is associated with the three most common causes of teenage deaths: accidental deaths,(like car crashes), homicides and suicides.
On average eight adolescents a day in the U.S. die in alcohol-related automobile crashes and nine out of ten teenage automobile accidents involve the use of alcohol.
Ninety-five percent of violent crimes on college campuses are alcohol-related. The majority of college rapes (ninety percent) 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.
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 teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease including HIV.
Problems at School
Alcohol use leads to bad grades, absenteeism and higher rates of school dropout, the things that keep you from doing what you want with your life.
For more information visit New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.