Facts About Underage Drinking:

• In 2005, around 10.8 million teenagers reported drinking underage in the past month
• Each day, around 11,300 teens try alcohol for the first time
• By high school, 74% of students have had one or more alcoholic drinks
• Alcohol leads to more deaths each year than all illegal drugs combined
• 41% of children have consumed alcohol by 8th grade
• In New York, 20.1% of 12-20 year olds have binge drank in the past month
• The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years for boys and 13 years for girls
• Annually, more than 5,000 deaths of people under age 21 are linked to underage drinking
• The average age at which Americans begin drinking regularly is 15.9
• Binge drinking, often beginning around age 13, tends to increase during adolescence, peak in young adulthood (ages 18-22), then gradually decreases
• It has been estimated that over 3 million teenagers are out-and-out alcoholics