YOUTH

If you are under 21, you know it is illegal for you to possess or drink alcohol, but you may find yourself in situations where you are being pressured to drink by your friends, classmates, or maybe even your brother or sister. You need to know that MOST — 80 to 90 percent — of middle school kids DON’T drink alcohol. ¹ And that's not all. Poll results show that more than 80 percent of teens support keeping the drinking age at 21, or even raising it! ²

In this section, you will find some short- and long-term effects of alcohol, some quick tips on how to say NO to alcohol, and some organizations and Web sites that can help you learn more. For additional information, see Statistics, The Child.

Alcohol is a drug that can affect your body, your mind, and your feelings. In the short-term, alcohol can:

• Cause you to use poor judgment

• Cause you to take unhealthy risks

• Make you look stupid in front of your friends

In the long-term, alcohol can:

• Reduce your learning ability. Research indicates that adolescents who abuse alcohol may remember 10 percent less of what they have learned than those who don’t drink.

• Increase your risk of lifelong problems with alcohol. More than 40 percent of individuals who begin drinking before age 13 will develop addiction or alcohol dependency, or other problems associated with alcohol use at some point in their lives.

Quick Tips

Here are some one-liner pressure busters to help you and your friends when offered alcohol:

• Alcohol’s NOT my thing.

• No, thanks; I have better things to do!

• I don’t feel like it — do you have any soda?

• Are you talking to me? FORGET it.

• Why do you KEEP pressuring me when I’ve said NO?

• Back off!

Here are some other things you can do:

• Talk to your parents about alcohol.

• Don’t let ads trick you into thinking alcohol is OK for you.

• Don’t ride in a car if the driver has been drinking alcohol.

• Find out the facts about alcohol, and the good reasons not to drink it.

• Plan alcohol-free activities and events.

• Stay smart ― don't start!

The following organizations can give you more information and support:

Alcoholics Anonymous: A Message to Teenagers... How to tell when drinking is becoming a problem Think you might have a problem with your own drinking? To help you decide, answer the 12 questions on AA's Web site. The answers are nobody's business but yours. If you can answer "yes" to any one of these questions, maybe it's time you took a serious look at what your drinking might be doing to you. If you do need help or if you'd just like to talk to someone about drinking, call Alcoholics Anonymous; they’re in every phone book. You can also obtain an online listing of AA phone numbers nationwide.

The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) helps children and families affected by alcoholism or addiction and other drug dependencies. The Web site contains guidance on coping with your parents' drinking, facts about the problem, and links to NACoA affiliates in several States and other national organizations.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's (NIAAA) Initiative on Underage Drinking  page lists free materials for use in local community efforts to prevent underage alcohol use. These include a fact sheet and public service announcements for parents and youth.

The Adolescent Directory Online, Center for Adolescent Studies, Indiana University is an electronic guide to information on adolescent issues, including resources for teens, parents, educators, and health care providers. The Teens Only section includes links to electronic magazines, online activities, organizations, and resources on family issues.

BAM! (Body and Mind)  is an e-zine aimed at youth ages 9 to 13.  It was created by the Centers for Disease Control to answer kids' questions on health issues and recommend ways to make their bodies and minds healthier, stronger, and safer.  It also provides interactive activities for teachers.  BAM! is published quarterly.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America offer you a safe place to learn and grow by providing programs on education, the environment, health, the arts, careers, alcohol and drug prevention, pregnancy prevention, gang prevention, and leadership development and athletics.

Children and Families Affected by Substance Abuse is an article on the Guidance Channel Online Ezine. Written for the Children of Alcoholics Foundation, it includes  the problems faced by children of substance abusers, and suggestions for providing support and assistance.

College Drinking: Changing the Culture  is an online resource center developed by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, in response to the increasingly complex issue of alcohol use among college students. The site includes a special section for students, as well as research reports on drinking, frequently asked questions on alcohol abuse, and college and university alcohol policies.

A Family Guide To Keeping Youth and Mentally Healthy Drug Free offers adults who influence the lives of children ages 7 to 18—including parents, foster parents, grandparents, extended family members, guardians, and mentors—suggestions for better communication with children, as well as other tips that aid in prevention.

Girl Power! is a national public education campaign sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services to help encourage and motivate 9- to 14- year-old girls to make the most of their lives. GirlPower's "Body FX"  Web site deals specifically with the effects of alcohol and other substances on girls' bodies.  It contains facts, resources, activities, and information, and emphasizes its points with sound and visual effects.

Hablemos en Confianza: Your Fountain of Resources is a bilingual public health Web site which offers advice for Hispanic/Latino parents on listening and talking with children to improve communication, to discover parenting style, and to learn about alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention)

In the Mix is a weekly PBS series for teens and by teens.  It includes topics such as alcohol and drug abuse, and also talks to celebrities on issues important to teens.  One of its programs is "Alcohol: What You Don't Know".

Keepin' It REAL (refuse, explain, avoid, leave) is a culturally grounded, prevention intervention targeting substance use among urban middle-school children. The curriculum consists of 10 lessons and four videos, developed by and for children, promoting anti-drug norms and teaching resistance and other social skills, reinforced by booster activity and a media campaign. There are three versions based on population targeted: a Mexican-American-centered version; a Non-Latino version; and a Multicultural version (developed by incorporating five lessons each from the first two versions).

The KidsHealth  Web site has a section on alcohol that includes information on the effects of alcohol, why kids drink, and how kids can help their friends who are drinking.

The Making the Link fact sheets contain current statistics on a variety of topics relating to underage drinking, including health issues, access to alcohol, and public opinion. They were prepared by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Center for Substance Abuse Prevention to support the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free initiative (PDF files):

Underage Drinking and Academic Performance
Underage Drinking and Access to Alcohol
Underage Drinking and the Future of Children
Underage Drinking and Girls' Health
Underage Drinking and Mental Health
Underage Drinking and Public Opinion
Underage Drinking and Risky Behavior
Underage Drinking and Violence

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) are more than just moms—they’re real people—dads, young people, and other concerned individuals who want to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime, and prevent underage drinking. The MADD Web site has a section for the under 21-age group that includes facts, statistics, and myths about drinking.

Musicians United for Songs In the Classroom, Inc. (M.U.S.I.C.) is a nonprofit organization which promotes the educational use of songs by teachers in all subject areas, including the effects and dangers of alcohol use.

National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY) assists groups and individuals seeking to support young people and their families by sharing information through its Web site, providing materials for distribution at conferences and training events, conducting research on topics of interest, and partnering with others who are working on similar issues. See the NCFY section for Young People and Students. (Family and Youth Services Bureau)

Partnership for a Drug Free America's Web site has a section for kids and teens that provides guidance on what to do when your friends drink.

PRIDE Youth Programs (PYP) is sponsored by PRIDE (Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education), a provider of prevention services in the area of alcohol and other drugs.  PYP's mission is to educate, promote, and support drug-free youth who care for the safety and health of self, peers, family and community.

Run Drugs Out of Town's goals are to raise awareness of and money for drug abuse prevention. The focus is mainly on kids, actively involving them, and making this their issue.

Save the Night, sponsored by the Amica Mutual Insurance Company, offers guidelines for planning safe, alcohol-free, post prom and post graduation parties. 

Straight Talk About Alcohol  provides information for girls between the ages of 10 and 16 on the effects of alcohol.  It is one of the topics on the National Woman's Health Information Center 4 Girls Health Web site.

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) is a peer leadership organization that provides students with prevention and intervention tools to cope with the issues of underage drinking, drug abuse, and other destructive decisions. SADD has chapters in several States, which are listed on its Web site.

The CoolSpot  Web site gives you facts on underage drinking and effective ways to say NO to alcohol.

Tips for Teens on Alcohol — The Truth About Alcohol provides information on the health effects of alcohol use, the legal risks of drinking, and how to detect the signs of drinking problems.

Too Smart to Start Youth's Page is for 9- to-13 year-old children. Read advice from teen columnists, download a puzzle about the effects of alcohol and find other websites about youth and alcohol use prevention.

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References

¹Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Results from the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of National Findings. Rockville, MD: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA. 2002

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