Underage Drinking

1. Underage Drinking Name Prosecuting Attorney

2. Underage Drinking Is A Problem! • Alcohol related tragedies are the #1 cause of death for 16-24 year olds. • Alcohol related sexual assaults are at all time highs. • 16-24 year olds are the highest population contracting AIDS/HIV. • High correlation between early alcohol use and domestic violence.

3. National Alarming Facts • Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 15 to 20. • In 2010, 18% or 827 drivers under the age of 20 had a BAC of .08 and died in crashes.

4. National Alarming Facts • Alcohol is the leading drug abused by teenagers in the United States. • When youth between the ages of 12 and 20 consume alcohol, they drink on average about five drinks per occasion about six times a month. • An estimated 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes.

5. National Alarming Facts • The percentage of the population who have drunk at least one whole drink rises steeply during adolescence until it plateaus at about age 21. • The brain goes through dynamic changes during adolescence, and alcohol can seriously damage long- and short-term growth processes.

6. National Alarming Facts • The average age of a child’s first drink is now 12, and nearly 20 percent of 12 to 20 year-olds are considered binge drinkers. • By age 15, approximately 50 percent of boys and girls have had a whole drink. • By age 21, approximately 90 percent have done so. • 11 million underage youth, ages 12 to 20, used alcohol in the month prior to the survey.

7. 20 Years Ago Get money together, just a few dollars Buy beer Limited means of transportation If fight breaks out, use fists Intoxicated Sex Sexually transmitted diseases limited. Today Each person may have $20-$40 alone. Buys a lot of alcohol. Buy the hard liquor Most kids have cars – so more apt to drive If fight breaks out, weapons are not far behind Date rape Changes in Society and MIP

8. Old way Word spread at school or by landline telephone Easy to spot false identifications Everyone piles into one car New way Cell & picture phones E-mails Text messages Computerized false identifications Blogs More Modern Day Changes

9. A Word About “Blogs” • “Reality TV for the web” • Nearly 10 million teenagers blog • Teens put themselves at risk by revealing private information • Common websites for teenager bloggers: • LiveJournal • Xanga • MySpace

10. Intoxication Rates Among Young Drivers Fatally Injured in National Traffic Crashes by Age, 2004

11. Adolescents Drink Less Frequently Than Adults, But Drink More Per Occasion Underage 12-17 Adult 26 and older 9.06 4.61 4.65 2.65 Drinking days/ month Usual # drinks/ occasion

12. Impact on the Brain • Frontal lobe development and the refinement of pathways and connections continue until age 16, and a high rate of energy is used as the brain matures until age 20. Damage from alcohol at this time can be long-term and irreversible. • Short-term or moderate drinking impairs learning and memory far more in youth than adults. Adolescents need only drink half as much to suffer the same negative effects.

13. Impact on the Brain • Adolescent drinkers scored worse than non-users on vocabulary, general information, memory, memory retrieval and at least three other tests. • Adolescent drinkers perform worse in school, are more likely to fall behind and have an increased risk of social problems, depression, suicidal thoughts and violence

14. Images of Teen Brain Activity When Performing Memory Tests

15. Cumulative Estimated Number of Lives Saved by Minimum Drinking Age Laws, 1975-2004

16. TEEN/YOUNG ADULT DRINKING DRIVERS (16-20) All Crashes Fatal Crashes • 2007 1,894 51 • 2008 1,562 46 • 2009 1,493 35 • 2010 1,380 26 • 2011 1,319 44 • 2012 1,279 31

17. What We Can Do as a Community • Find out how easily children can obtain alcohol. • Identify the kinds of educational programs our community offers to stop children from starting to drink. • Drum up support for alcohol-free events and celebrations in our community. • Undertake and support positive community activities for youth. • Encourage collaboration by parents, community leaders, public and private schools, businesses, local government, and law enforcement to develop policies and programs related to underage alcohol use.

18. What We Can Do as a Community • Make it harder for young people to get alcohol, and they will drink less. • Enforce policies and laws designed to stop drinking among children and adolescents. • Consistently prevent underage access to alcohol, publicize and enforce alcohol-related laws, and limit the promotion of alcohol, they reinforce the message that alcohol use by young people is unacceptable.

19. What We Can Do in Our Schools • Survey or assess student drinking to determine the extent of the problem. • Identify factors that may be contributing to student drinking in your school or community (e.g., easy access to alcohol, peer pressure, adults' failure to address the issue).

20. What We Can Do in Our Schools • Determine what steps, if any, are being taken within our school system to help young people resist the pressure to drink. • Develop an active partnership with the families of our students. • Implement school policies prohibiting alcohol use on school grounds. • Have a zero tolerance approach to students who are caught drinking – at school events or not.

21. What We Can Do in Our Homes • Educate parents about underage alcohol use. • Set a good example for our children regarding the use of alcohol. • Encourage our children to talk with us about their problems and concerns. • Get to know our children's friends and discuss ways our children can avoid drinking when they are feeling pressured by peers.

22. What We Can Do in Our Homes • Talk to other parents about ways to send a consistent, clear message that underage drinking is not acceptable behavior or a "rite of passage." • Encourage our children to participate in supervised activities and events that are challenging, fun, and alcohol free. • Learn the warning signs that indicate our children may be drinking and act promptly to get help. • Make sure we’re at home for all our children's parties and be sure those parties are alcohol free. Michigan Compiled Law 750.141a makes parents criminally responsible for knowingly allowing their children to have parties at their home where alcohol is provided.

23. Together We Can Make A Difference! Together we can save the lives of our children.