Under Age Drinking - Key to Subsequent Drug Abuse and Addiction

Under age drinking affects many people, but none more than the drinkers themselves.

Underage drinkers are more likely to drop out of school, use drugs and engage in unsafe sexual practices.   Decisions made at age 15 or 16 can set the stage for a life destined for failure.

“It is up to the adults to make the truth available – not alcohol to our youth,” comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director for Narconon Drug Rehab Georgia.  “Don’t let teens learn the hard way that underage drinking can lead them to a place they really don’t want to go.”

JoinTogether.org reports that alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous - both to themselves and society at large. Underage alcohol use is associated with traffic fatalities, violence, unsafe sex, suicide, educational failure, and other problem behaviors that diminish the prospects of future success, as well as health risks. Despite these serious concerns, the media continues to make drinking look attractive to youth, and it remains possible and even easy for teenagers to get access to alcohol.
 
Why is this dangerous behavior so pervasive? What can be done to prevent it? What will work and who is responsible for making sure it happens? Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility, a joint report by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, addresses these questions and proposes a new way to combat underage alcohol use. It explores the ways in which may different individuals and groups contribute to the problem and how they can be enlisted to prevent it.

The report says that reducing underage drinking requires a cooperative effort from all levels of government, alcohol manufacturers and retailers, the entertainment industry, parents and other adults in a community. The report proposes a comprehensive strategy to curb underage drinking, a problem that costs the nation an estimated $53 billion annually, due in part to losses stemming from traffic fatalities and violent crime.

Ms. Rieser states: “Support leaders who discourage alcohol advertising to youth and talk to you kids often about the dangers of drinking.  They are getting plenty of communication encouraging them to drink and you will have to be heard over the din. Fortunately, down deep they respect you more than anyone else.”

If you know someone with a drinking problem, send them to Narconon – we have a 76% success rate.  

For more information on drug addiction rehab, alcohol addiction, or drug education, call Narconon of Georgia at 1-877-413-3073.

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