Did You Know?
- Teenagers who drink are 50 times more likely to use cocaine.
- Three out of five teens have had an alcoholic drink in the past month.
- Although the majority of parents believe peer pressure to be the primary reason teens drink or use drugs, teens say:
- 79% - being drunk / high feels good
- 67% - helps to forget problems
- 66% - others do it (peer pressure)
- 47% - nothing else to do
- 2.6 million teenagers did not know you could die from an overdose of alcohol.
- 56% of students in grades 5 to 12 say that alcohol advertising encourages them to drink.
- 33% of nearly 200,000 students nationally surveyed said that their parents often do not set clear rules.
- Of the 20 million junior and senior high school students in America, half drink once a month.
- You can have fun, and be part of the crowd by not drinking or using other drugs.
- Say “No, thanks” when offered a drink, “I have better things to do!”
- Don’t let advertisers trick you into thinking smoking will make you “cool.”
- Talk to your parents frankly and frequently about alcohol and drug issues.
Myths & Facts About Underage Drinking
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Myth: Alcohol affects everyone the same.
- Fact: There are many factors that affect reactions to alcohol. Body size, gender, your body chemistry are just a few of the dozens of factors that can alter the way a person metabolizes alcohol. Research tells us that teens are particularly susceptible to alcohol abuse, since their bodies are still growing and changing.
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Myth: Black coffee will "sober you up."
- Fact: This is one of the biggest myths out there about alcohol use. With coffee, you're introducing a second "drug," caffeine, which simply makes you a "wide-awake drunk." Only time will make a person sober.
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Myth: Drinking alcohol, will give you more energy.
- Fact: Nothing could be farther from the truth. Alcohol is a depressant, meaning that it actually slows down your ability to perform tasks such as walking, breathing, thinking and moving, correctly. Do yourself a favor: if you want to increase your energy, try exercise, good nutrition, proper rest and healthy living.
How Teens Say "No" to Underage Drinking
A National Youth Movement on Alcohol Issues called "Take it Back" empowers youth to reduce alcohol problems and increase the health and safety of youth. Their goals are to:
- Increase public awareness of the problems due to alcohol use and misuse by youth
- Educate on a local and national level the complexity and breadth of the alcohol and youth issue
- Reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents among youth
- Change local policies that affect the availability of alcohol to youth
- Parents to "Grow up!"
- Policy Makers to "Wake up!"
- Enforcement Agencies to "Harden up!'
- Store Owners to "Listen up!"
- Schools to "Wise up!"
- Communities to "Charge up!"
- Youth to "Stand up!"