1. The Consequences of Underage Drinking

2. At what age do most kids start drinking?
Most kids who drink alcohol begin doing so in 7th and
8th grade (ages 12-14)

3. Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America’s youth.

4. Where does most underage drinking take place
Where does most underage drinking take place? Where do most people underage get their alcohol?

5. Parents who allow minors to drink in their home can also be charged with furnishing alcohol to minors, a charge punishable by at least a $1000 fine and up to a year in prison.

6. Teens drink less frequently than adults, but when they do drink, they drink more than adults. More than 90% of underage drinking occurs in the form of binge drinking.

7. Drinking too much alcohol in a short period of time can cause death
Drinking too much alcohol in a short period of time can cause death. Alcohol takes time to metabolize.

8. Young adults have the highest rate of alcohol dependence in the U. S
Young adults have the highest rate of alcohol dependence in the U.S. population, and they are not legally old enough to drink.

9. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking.
HHS. (2007). The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: What It Means to You: A Guide to Action for Families (electronic version), p. 10. Retrieved from

11. How do you know if someone needs medical attention?

12. Aware, Awake, Alive

13. What do you do if someone is so intoxicated that they need medical attention, but they are underage?

14. Most patients are either brought in by ambulance because they've been found unresponsive, or by a friend because they can't stop vomiting or stay awake
Although the hospital is not concerned with a patient's legal matters, they must know their age because if the patient is a minor - parents must be notified
Very few of the people that are taken to the ER for excessive drinking are over the age of 21
Underage patients are not treated any differently than of-age patients, and if the individual has not already been cited by police, hospital staff cannot report them due to privacy laws

15. Alcohol & Addiction
Youth who begin drinking before the age of 15 are 5 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse as adults.
SAMHSA. (2004). The NSDUH Report: Alcohol Dependence or Abuse and Age at First Use (electronic version).
Retrieved from

16. Underage Drinking Plays a Significant Role in…
Risky sexual behavior, including unwanted, unintended, and unprotected sexual activity, sex with multiple partners, and sexual assault
Unplanned pregnancy and contracting STDs
Academic struggles and failure
Tobacco and illicit drug use
Range of physical consequences, from hangovers to death from alcohol poisoning
Causing alterations in the structure and function of the developing brain, which continues to mature into the 20s and may have consequences reaching far beyond adolescence

17. Underage Drinking Charges
In Pennsylvania, a charge of Underage Drinking is classified as a non-traffic summary offense. While a summary offense is not as severe as a felony or misdemeanor charge, the Pennsylvania 90 day license suspension is mandatory and there is no way to reduce or avoid the suspensions.

18. Legal Implications
If you are caught buying, drinking, possessing, or transporting beer, wine, or liquor, you can be arrested. If convicted of underage drinking, you can be fined anywhere from $300 - $1,000, jailed up to 90 days, or both. In addition, you will have a criminal record.

19. Underage Drinking and Driving
Under Pennsylvania's Zero Tolerance Law, persons under 21 can be arrested and charged with a DUI even if their blood alcohol is .020 (ANY measurable amount of alcohol in your system).

20. Drinking & Driving
If you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol (D.U.I.), it is a misdemeanor of the second degree, with a maximum penalty of $5,000 and up to 2 years in jail. In addition, you will lose your license for at least 3 months, possibly up to a year.

21. About 45% of people who die in crashes involving underage drunk drivers are people other than the driver.

22. Talk to your parents/guardians… COME UP WITH A PLAN!

23. Future Employment??
In a competitive job market, minor arrests may mean the difference between getting the job or not.
People create an even bigger mess for themselves when they try to hide criminal records from employers.
Individuals will get job offers, but when the employers conduct background checks, they show legal offenses that were not on the application and the job offer can be revoked (due to lack of ethics or integrity)

24. Hopes & Dreams
Think of all of the amazing things you want to do with your life… you could take all of those opportunities away from yourself.