Underage Drinking - Kiley Stoll

Did you know by the age of 18 more than 70 percent of teens have had at least one drink! Underage drinking is out of control in many different aspects and occurs all around us every single day. Underage consumed 15 percent of all alcohol sold in the United States, totaling $19.8 billion in sales. Underage drinking is not only a personal matter but a public matter, it costs the United States $58 billion per year. Approximately 8 teens die every day in alcohol related car crashes.

The media contributes to underage drinking, while watching TV you will see an average of 17 alcohol advertisements per day! Rates of drinking and alcohol related problems are highest among White and American Indian or Alaska Native youth, followed by Hispanic youth, African Americans, and Asians.

Prevalence rates of drinking for boys and girls are similar in the youth age groups; among older adolescents however, more males than females engage in frequent and heavy drinking.  The stratification level is similar; no class is statistically proven for underage drinking.

Quantitative data consist of:  60 percent of college women who have acquired STD including AIDS and genital herpes were under the influence of alcohol at the time they had intercourse.  Approximately 1700 college students each year die from alcohol related injuries.  90 percent of all reported campus rapes occur when either the assailant or the victim is using alcohol.

As data is formed you can tell individual actions do not only affect the consumer, but everyone around them. Accidents occur, diseases are passed unintentionally and fatal accidents are reported daily.

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