Drinking alcohol can harm the growing body and brain. That’s why it’s important for young people to grow up alcohol-free. And it takes every adult in the community to help young people choose not to drink alcohol. It takes you and your help.
When anyone under age 21 drinks alcohol, we call it underage drinking. And underage drinking is against the law, except in special cases, such as when it is part of a religious ceremony. Underage drinking is also dangerous. It can harm the mind and body of a growing teen in ways many people don’t realize.
Yet, children and teens still drink, even though it can harm them. Underage drinking is a serious problem, with roots deep in our culture. It is time to change that picture. It’s time to take action. It’s time to stop looking the other way. It’s time to tell children and teens that underage drinking is not okay. It will take a lot of work over time to change how people think about underage drinking. It’s a long-term project for parents, schools, local groups, community leaders, and other concerned adults. And it’s a project that should start when children are young and continue through the teen years. u In any month, more youth are drinking than are smoking cigarettes or using marijuana.
Today, Nearly 0.8 Million Youth, Ages 12-20, Are Underage Drinkers. More teens drink than smoke or use drugs.
