1-866-Teen-Use
Underage Drinking is not a “Minor” Problem
Contents
Did You Know?
- Underage Drinking is America’s #1 Youth Drug Problem
- Alcohol Damages Brain Development Which Continues Into The Early 20’s
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Estimates that 20,000 Lives Have Been Saved By The Uniform 21 Drinking Age Law
- Adult Attitudes and Behaviors Affect Underage Drinking
- Alcohol-Related Crashes Are Among the Leading Cause of Teenage Deaths
BUT, IT’S NOT JUST DRINKING AND DRIVING
Underage Drinking Can Be a Factor In:
- Rape
- Homicide
- Drowning
- Property Damage
- Assault
- Alcohol Poisoning
- Falls
- Academic Failure
- Suicide
- Burns
- Hypothermia
- Future Addiction
Poor decisions made under the influence of alcohol (or other drugs) could change a young person’s life forever.
Stop Teen Tragedies…Make the Call! Report Underage Drinking
It’s Not a “Minor” Problem
1-866-TEEN USE
1-866-833-6873
How it Works
- All calls are toll free when placed from within Vermont
- Calls are answered by the Rutland County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher
- The dispatcher collects all pertinent information from the anonymous caller
- The dispatcher then forwards the information to the appropriate local law enforcement agency where it is acted upon
- If the drinking incident is in progress the local agency will attempt to organize a START Team response to handle the incident as safely and efficiently as possible
- If the report is about a planned drinking party the agency will attempt to prevent the party by talking to parents, landowners, etc. to advise them of the dangers and liabilities of allowing such a party to happen on their property
For more information on your local START Team contact the coordinator in your area.
Why an Underage Drinking Reporting Line?
As reflected in the statistics below, Vermont has a very real alcohol problem not only among our youth, but overall. The tragedies that happen as a result of underage drinking, both to the drinkers and to others, are totally preventable. Our goal is to protect our youth and to change the drinking culture in which we all live.
- Vermont was in the top 5th in the nation in past month alcohol use overall and in the age groups 12–17 and 18–25. (2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.)
- Youth who drink before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21. (NIAAA, 1997—from the MADD Website)
- Underage drinkers are responsible for between 10 and 20 percent of all alcohol consumed in the United States. (NAS, 2003 - from the MADD Website)
- About 91 percent of all drinks consumed by teenagers are consumed by those who drink heavily. (Biglan, et al, 2003 - from the MADD Website)
- An early age of drinking onset is associated with alcohol-related violence not only among persons under age 21 but among adults as well. (Hingson et al, 2001 - from the MADD Website)
- The total cost attributable to the consequences of underage drinking was more than $53 billion per year in 1998 dollars. (Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 1999 - from the MADD Website)
- In 2002, 29 percent of 15- to 20-year-old drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking. Twenty-four percent were intoxicated. (NHTSA, 2003 - from the MADD Website)
- Research continues to show that young drivers between 15 and 20 years old are more often involved in alcohol-related crashes than any other comparable age group. Alcohol-crash involvement rates, share of the alcohol-crash problem and alcohol-crash risk all reach their peaks with young drivers, with the peaks for fatal crashes occurring at age 21. (NHTSA, 2001 - from the MADD Website)
- In 2002, 27 percent of the young male drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking at the time of the crash, compared with 11 percent of the young female drivers involved in fatal crashes. (NHTSA, 2003 - from the MADD Website)
- Based on the latest mortality data available, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people from 15 to 20 years old. (NHTSA, 2003 - from the MADD Website)
- Sixty-nine percent of young drivers (15-20 years old) of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking were unrestrained. Of the young drivers who had been drinking and were killed, 77 percent were unrestrained. (NHTSA, 2003 - from the MADD Website)
- Teenagers are not well informed about alcohol’s effects. Nearly one-third of teens mistakenly believe that a 12-ounce can of beer contains less alcohol than a standard shot of distilled sprits. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 1998 - from the MADD Website)
Resources:
- Alcohol Prevention - Tips for Parents - Pediatrician Dr. Lewis First - WCAX-TV First With Kids - April 5, 2004
- Alcohol and the Adolescent Brain - Duke University
- Center for Science in the Public Interest - fact sheet on 21 Drinking Age
- American Medical Association - on the Minimum Legal Drinking Age
- Effects of Minimum Drinking Age Laws: Review and Analyses of the Literature from 1960 to 2000 (pdf)
- The Marin Institute - Preventing Alcohol Problems
- Monitoring The Future - National High School Substance Abuse Survey
- SADD - Students Against Destructive Decisions
- Vermont Teen Leadership Safety Program - VTLSP
- Green Mountain Prevention Projects - GMPP
- Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free
- MADD Website
- National Survey on Drug Use and Health
- Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility (2004) Institute of Medicine (IOM)
- America’s Partners to Prevent Underage Drinking
- Europe vs United States argument Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation (pdf)
- The Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS)
Please send comments or suggestions to: START Coordinator