Understanding Underage Drinking
What Is Underage Drinking?
Any alcohol consumption of alcohol before reaching the legal drinking age constitutes underage drinking.
Underage drinking is a serious public health issue across the United States and has a profound impact on a young person’s developing brain. It can lead to not just a higher risk of addiction, but also to an increase in risky behavior.
Alcohol use can damage the hippocampus, which is in charge of memory and learning, compromise decision-making skills or the ability to measure consequences, and affect emotional development, potentially causing lowered emotional resilience and an increase in feelings of anxiety, depression, and more, especially in an adolescent brain.
With the myriad of health problems and consequences of underage drinking to adolescent and young adults’ health, being able to identify underage drinking in young people is crucial. This includes addressing the impact of alcoholic beverages on the health of underage drinkers and preventing further use.
How Common Is Underage Drinking?
Underage drinking can be more common than many may realize, with around 12.7 million underage people reporting having tried at least one drink between the ages of 12 and 20, according to a study published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
This includes about five million underage drinkers who report having had at least one drink in just the past month.
What Percentage of 15-Year-Olds Drink?
According to a study conducted in 2019, about 24.6% of 15-year-olds have reported having at least one drink of alcohol in their lives.
However, while this number has been steadily declining, any amount of alcohol use among this population is still dangerous and can lead to alcohol-related challenges, addiction, or other long-lasting impacts on their developing brains that can have long-term consequences.
How Many 19-Year-Olds Drink Alcohol?
The closer young adults get to legal drinking age, the more likely they are to engage in underage drinking, with about half of young adults around the age of 19 reporting having used alcohol.
New risk factors and influences can inform the use of alcohol as a person gets closer to legal drinking age. However, the brain is still developing, and continuing to be cognizant of the signs and risk factors that can lead to underage drinking can help parents identify underage drinking in their teenagers and young adults.
Why Do Teens Drink Alcohol?
While underage drinking can be common, the reasons can vary, from social and peer pressure to influences from social media.
Other reasons teens may experiment or engage with alcohol include:
- Impressions of alcohol from film, television, online commercials, or music that inform views or expectations of alcohol use
- Curiosity about alcohol and its effects, especially when combined with opportunity, such as a lack of oversight or alcohol accessible in the home
- Growing up around alcohol use, such as parental or sibling use
- Underlying stresses or mental health needs, such as using alcohol to push down anxiety, depression, or the stress of looming deadlines, academic pressures, or stresses to apply to college or “figure out” the direction of their lives
Understanding the underlying factors that inform underage drinking is crucial to providing support for adolescents and young adults.
The brain is still developing during adolescence, with the regions responsible for impulse control continuing to change. As a result, it can be common for teens to experiment with alcohol or engage in risky behaviors out of opportunity, curiosity, or social pressure, even if they have not fully considered potential consequences.
However, understanding the unique stresses that led to underage drinking can empower family members and loved ones to better approach the situation with understanding and care, situating themselves as a support that can best facilitate change.
Underage Drinking & Its Effects
What Are the Effects of Underage Drinking?
Underage drinking can lead to a wide range of effects, from short-term risks to potential long-term damage to daily life and wellness.
Some short-term effects of drinking include:
- Increase in risk-taking behavior
- Experimenting with other substances
- Increased risk of accidents
- Unsafe sexual practices
- Conflict with family members, loved ones, or peers
- Impaired judgement or lack of planning
While many adolescents and teens may not drink frequently, an inconsistent opportunity can lead to teens drinking more at one time, resulting in binge drinking and an increased risk of alcohol poisoning.
These risks not only impact personal health and wellness, but compromised judgement can also lead to legal consequences with law enforcement. Impaired judgment can be extremely dangerous for teens who drive, with driving under the influence leading to motor vehicle crashes and an active danger to oneself and others.
Underage drinking can also lead to an increased risk of sexual assault, whether a person is impaired and seen as a potential victim, or compromised decision-making leading to assaulting others without considering the consequences, both of which can have a devastating lifelong impact.
However, there are also long-term risks and consequences of underage drinking. These risks include:
- Stunting brain development and emotional regulation
- Increased risk of liver or cardiovascular disease
- Higher chances of substance abuse or substance use disorder (SUD) in adulthood
- Increased risk of cancer
- Cognitive impairment, such as difficulty forming or recalling memories
How Does Underage Drinking Affect the Brain?
Underage drinking can disrupt normal and healthy brain development, impair memory and learning abilities, cause difficulty regulating emotions and emotional resilience, and increase risk-taking behaviors or lack of impulse control.
These stunted brain developments have lasting consequences, with these areas becoming damaged or underdeveloped into adulthood.
Can Underage Drinking Affect Mental Health?
Absolutely. From decreased emotional resilience to developing feelings of anxiety, depression, increased risk of self-harm or compromised self-worth, and more, underage alcohol use can have a profound impact on mental health that can follow teens into adulthood.
Compromised decision-making can also lead to potentially traumatic situations, such as being arrested for a DUI, that can impact a person’s emotional health.
Likewise, alcohol can also interfere with the development of healthier coping strategies for managing already present stresses and emotional challenges, not only introducing an increased risk of anxiety, depression, or other mental health needs, but also making it more difficult to process emotional challenges in daily life.
How Does Underage Drinking Affect Physical Health?
Alcohol can impact teens’ physical health as much as emotional health, leading to compromised sleep schedules and fatigue, increased risk of accidents and injury, increased risk of liver or heart disease later in life, or changes in metabolism or nutrition as alcohol use impacts dieting and growth.
Signs of Underage Drinking
What Are Some Warning Signs of Underage Drinking?
Potential warning signs for underage drinking include:
- Decline in academic performance or attendance
- Disinterest in previous hobbies
- Being secretive about personal life, between their schedule, social groups they were with, locking doors, or becoming suddenly very protective of personal space or areas
- Changes in social group or influences
Many teens or adolescents will actively hide alcohol use from family members, especially parents and guardians. However, you do not have to actively see your son drinking to determine if alcohol may be impacting his life.
While these signs do not necessarily mean that your son or teenager is engaging in underage drinking, they can be a reason to reach out to Resilience Recovery Resources or local professional detox facilities to learn more about addiction, other signs of alcohol use, and the healing options available to your son.
What Physical Signs Should Parents Watch For?
Some physical signs that parents can watch for if they are suspicious of underage drinking include:
- Smell of alcohol on breath
- Glassy eyes
- Slurred speech
- Slowed reaction time
- Changes in sleep patterns, from insomnia to sleeping at odd hours
- Nausea, or increased frequency of feeling sick
- Persistent headaches
What Behavioral Signs Should Parents Look Out For?
Noticing behavioral changes in your son can be the first sign of underage drinking, with alcohol use or frequent underage drinking leading to a myriad of behavioral changes that can be readily apparent, including:
- Decrease in academic performance
- Disinterest in previous hobbies
- Brushing teeth or washing immediately when they get home
- Increase in risk-taking behaviors
- Developing a secretive lifestyle
- Sudden financial needs
- Mood swings, irritability, or anger
Supporting Your Child
What Do You Do if Your Teenager Is Drinking?
Approaching the situation calmly, even if it means waiting before confronting your teenager, is crucial.
Educating yourself about potential reasons behind underage alcohol use and setting a time to talk to them in a neutral and safe space can be helpful when approaching your son about his drinking habits.
Additionally, approaching your teenager not with accusations or assumptions, but with questions, evidence of specific examples or signs of alcohol use, and prepared boundaries, consequences, and education about alcohol use and potential healing facilities can all help begin a conversation about underage drinking.
Asking open-ended questions, letting your teen talk uninterrupted, and being receptive rather than confrontational about alcohol use is paramount, ensuring that your teenager feels heard. This calm approach can help you to get to the root cause of alcohol use, whether social pressures or coping with stress is informing use, and a proper approach to healing.
During this conversation, it is important to also set parameters around alcohol use, making clear expectations, consequences, and being ready to enforce them as necessary to avoid unintentionally enabling further drinking.
How Can I Talk to My Teenager About the Risks of Underage Drinking?
Starting a conversation with your teenager about the risks of underage drinking starts with understanding – keeping it a conversation, rather than a lecture, is necessary.
Giving them time to speak, approaching the situation with facts and concerns rather than personal accusations or comments on character, and ensuring these conversations are ongoing – not one-off events – can all help keep a healthy dialogue about underage drinking, the risks, and the best ways to support them.
Should I Punish My Teen for Drinking?
There is no single “best” approach, and punishing a teen for underage drinking will vary from parent to parent.
However, ensuring that you adhere to established consequences after having a conversation is paramount.
Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder
When Should I Seek Professional Help for My Child’s Substance Abuse?
If alcohol use continues despite negative consequences and after addressing the situation with them directly, academics continue to suffer, and alcohol continues to inform mental and physical health decline, then treatment may be necessary.
Talking to a pediatrics specialist, healthcare provider, or addiction specialist at Resilience Recovery Resources about potential needs and options for healing can help you determine when it may be time to consider professional care for your teen.
How Effective Are Treatment Options for Adolescents?
Professional care is highly effective.
However, your child will still have to put in the effort themselves, with strategies like motivational interviewing being crucial for motivating your teen to pursue sobriety for their own goals.
Treatments are most effective when they are catered to the personalized needs of each adolescent, with age-specific care and peer support being paramount for addressing these challenges.
What Are the Treatment Options for Alcohol Use Disorder?
A combination of evidence-based care, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), trauma-informed care, holistic healing opportunities, and experiential healing options creates an effective and comprehensive healing program.
Will My Child Need Medication?
Medication is not always necessary, but can be instrumental, depending on your child’s needs, severity of addiction, and underlying factors.
Talking with a professional and discussing the unique needs of your child all go into deciding whether medication is appropriate.
Is Detox Necessary?
Detox programs are the first step in a treatment program, and are crucial for expelling alcohol from the body, navigating withdrawal symptoms, and providing support while beginning the healing process, ensuring your teen can transition to residential, partial hospitalization, or outpatient care.
Prevention & Ongoing Support
How Can Parents Prevent Underage Drinking?
Supervision, honesty, communication, clear expectations and boundaries, and a non-judgmental home atmosphere can help prevent underage drinking and open necessary conversations about other needs or stresses.
What Home Rules and Boundaries Reduce Risk?
Some strategies can include curfews, a clear no-alcohol policy, making any alcohol at home inaccessible, and regular check-ins when with friends can all help.
However, some degree of trust is also necessary to avoid becoming overly strict or building resentment with your teen.
What Ongoing Support Helps Teens Maintain Sobriety?
Open, honest, and calm communication when genuine questions arise, support to engage in other hobbies or groups like sports, and modeling behavior around alcohol use, such as avoiding alcohol use in front of a child or eliminating alcohol from the house.
How Can Schools and Communities Support Prevention?
Prevention can be supported by providing education and access to evidence-based programs, after-school activities, clubs across a wide range of interests, and creating safe spaces for teens after school, such as library programs, local game stores, or publicly accessible areas like parks, tennis courts, or activities.
How Should Parents Monitor Peer and Social Influences?
Showing genuine interest in your child’s friends and social circle, encouraging relationships with peers who do not drink or with whom you have a trusted connection to their family, offering to host hangouts at your own home, and having details about the whereabouts of parties on hand, such as address, expected itinerary, and other pertinent information like contact info of parents can help monitor these influences.
FAQs
Can you get kicked out of college for underage drinking?
Yes, many colleges have strict policies surrounding drug use or underage drinking, with expulsion being possible.
Do you lose your license for underage drinking?
While laws vary greatly by state, license suspension is a common consequence of underage drinking, even if driving is not directly involved, but especially if it is.
Why Is Underage Drinking Bad?
Alcohol can damage parts of the brain that are still developing, leading to long-lasting consequences on physical and mental health.
Is Underage Drinking Illegal?
Yes, underage drinking is illegal across the country.
Can you get in trouble for being around underage drinking?
It depends. If you are over the age of 21 and enabling minors in any way, from providing alcohol directly to money for alcohol, or providing a space where underage drinking occurs, then you can be held legally accountable.
Is it normal to drink at 16?
While many teenagers and high school students may be exposed to alcohol by the age of 16, it is still important to avoid alcohol.
Contacting a professional for options and information can help you determine how to help your 16-year-old.
What happens if you are caught drinking alcohol if you’re under 18?
Mandatory alcohol education courses, community service, fines or citations, license suspensions, or other disciplinary actions are common, depending on the situation.
Is underage drinking a felony?
No, underage drinking is not typically a felony on its own, but it should still be avoided.
Can you drink on private property underage?
Being on private property does not make underage drinking legal.
Can you drink underage with parental supervision?
While the legality of drinking underage with parental supervision varies across states, drinking at a young age still poses risks, even with parents around, and should still be avoided while the brain develops.
