Myths and Facts of Underage Drinking

Myth: Underage drinking is a rite of passage.
Fact: Drinking alcohol under the age of 21 is illegal. It is not a rite of passage – it is dangerous and criminal activity.

Myth: Everyone is doing it.
Fact: Over half of students in grades 9-12 in SC do not consume alcohol (according to SCYRBS 2005).

Myth: Parents/adults can ensure youth safety by allowing them to drink in the home and taking away the car keys.
Fact: A person can die of an overdose of alcohol. Alcohol poisoning occurs when a person drinks a large quantity of alcohol in a short amount of time. In addition, drinking also increases the risk of falls, burns, drowning, and suicide, as well as the chance that a young person will commit a crime or become a victim of a crime.

  • Alcohol: http://www.theantidrug.com/drug_info/drug_info_alcohol.asp
  • Baker, A., Drinking is like taking poison, The Post, Ohio University, October 1997.
  • National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Rethinking rites of passage: substance of Universities, June 1994.

Myth: If an 18-year-old can fight for our country and vote for our country's leaders, they should be responsible enough to drink alcohol as well.
Fact: recent research indicates that alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs act differently on adolescent brains as they are growing than they do on fully mature brains. For some, early use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs may actually change brain development in long-lasting and detrimental ways (IOM, 2004).

Myth: I don't have to worry about other adults providing my child alcohol.
Fact: Adolescents get alcohol from a variety of sources – older friends and siblings, parents and other relatives, establishments that do not consistently check for identification. Make a point to get to know the parents of your child's friends to ensure that they are aware that you do not permit the use of alcohol by your child.

Myth: Underage drinking is not a problem.
Fact: Underage drinking is a serious problem.

Underage drinking is a factor in nearly half of all teen automobile crashes – the leading cause of death among teens.

In 2001, underage drinking cost SC taxpayers $837 million. These costs were associated with medical care, work loss, and pain and suffering associated with the multiple problems resulting from the use of alcohol by youth. To read about the consequences and cost of underage drinking in South Carolina click here http://www.udetc.org/factsheets/SouthCarolina.pdf

Between 12 and 20% of all the alcohol consumed in this country is drunk by people who are legally too young to drink at all and there are real, preventable, negative consequences (Foster et al., 2003).

Myth: Experimentation with alcohol as a teen is harmless.
Fact:Kids who begin drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21 or later. (CASA, 2002).

Recent research shows that over 95% of the adults in this country who are alcohol-dependent started drinking before they were 21 years of age (SAMHSA 2004).

There is strong evidence that the earlier in life a person starts drinking alcohol, the more likely he/she is to have alcohol related problems throughout life, including repeated episodes of alcohol dependence, higher rates of injuries and lower levels of academic and job achievement (NIAAA, 2003).

Alcohol is the primary contributor to the leading causes of adolescent deaths (NIAAA,2003).

  • Motor vehicle deaths.
  • Homicide
  • Suicide

Myth: If I can serve alcohol to my own child in my home, I should be able to serve alcohol to my child's friends if they are in my home and under my supervision.
Fact: It is illegal to provide underage youth other than your own child with alcohol. There are fines and civil liabilities associated with transferring alcohol to persons under the age of 21. Adults should not take it upon themselves to make decisions for other parents. Oftentimes, there is a family history of alcoholism that can increase a youth's susceptibility to alcohol, and this is only known by the child's parents.

Myth: Alcohol is not such a big deal compared with illicit drugs.
Fact: Alcohol kills more young people than cocaine, heroin, and every other illegal drug combined. Eighteen million Americans are addicted to alcohol or have alcohol abuse issues. Alcohol is the number one drug problem of today's youth. Alcohol is a factor in the leading causes of death among adolescents (unintentional injuries, homicides, and suicides).

* Underage Drinking: A Major Public Health Challenge

Myth: What parents say or do won't make any difference; teenagers only listen to their friends.
Fact: Parents are the number one influence in the lives of their children. Parents should begin talking to their children early on about the dangers of drug use and should continue the conversation throughout adolescence. A study of adolescents and their families, conducted by the Research Institute on Addictions, revealed that both adolescent boys and adolescent girls whose parents supervise their friendships and activities are less likely to engage in problem behaviors, including drinking, and that this was true regardless of race or income level.

* Research Institute on Addictions, Parents can help prevent teen alcohol, drug use, Research in Brief, September 1995.

Parents: The Anti-Drug 

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