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BEST PRACTICES: ALCOHOL AND
DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION
Topic Overview
Underage drinking presents an enormous public health
issue. Alcohol is the drug of choice among children and adolescents.
Annually, 7,000 youth under age 21 die from alcohol-related injuries,
homicides, and suicides.
Alcohol is the number one
drug of choice among children and adolescents. In 2002, about 2 million
youth ages 12 through 20 drank five or more drinks on an occasion, 5 or
more times a month.
- Alcohol use by persons under age 21 poses both
acute and long-term risks.
- In 2002, 1.5 million youth ages 12 through 17 met
criteria for admission to alcohol treatment.
- Alcohol is the leading contributor to the leading
causes of death each year for young people under age 21, including:
- 7,000 deaths from alcohol-related injuries
- 1,500 homicides
- 300 suicides
- Studies show 40 percent of those who start drinking
before the age of 15 meet criteria for alcohol dependence at some
point in their lives.
- Research indicates that the human brain
continues to develop into a person's early 20's.
- Exposure of the developing brain to alcohol may
have long-lasting effects on intellectual capabilities and may
increase the likelihood of alcohol addiction.
Underage drinking results
in serious second-hand effects.
- Half of all persons who die in traffic crashes
involving drinking drivers under age 21 are persons other than the
drinking driver).
- Research among college students under age 21
revealed that50,000 students experience alcohol-related date rape
and 430,000 are injured by another student who has been drinking.
Background Documents
Evidence-Based Programs
Recommended Strategies
Related Colorado Programs
Related Topics
Resources
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