Underage drinking linked to mental health problems
Not only do teens who use alcohol often progress to addictive behavior later in life, they are-- according to the article "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research” (Aug. 2005) from Albert Einstein College of Medicine — "at a higher risk for developing mental illnesses such as depression, suicide, and psychoticism as adults." Among 12-17 year-olds who were current drinkers, 31 percent exhibited extreme levels of psychological distress and 39 percent exhibited serious behavioral problems.
- 12-16 year old girls who were current drinkers were four times more likely than their non-drinking peers to suffer depression.
- Suicide attempts among heavy-drinking adolescents were three to four times greater than among non-drinkers.
- Among 8th grade girls who drink heavily, 37 percent report attempting suicide, whereas 11 percent of girls who do not drink report attempting suicide. Source
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Underage drinking can lead to a host of other problems
Alcohol use among children is strongly correlated with violence, poor academic performance, unwanted sexual advances, illicit substance use and other dangers. In fact, alcohol use by teens is one of the strongest predictors of unintentional teen injury—the main cause of death for people under age 21, be it by motor vehicle crashes, homicide or suicide. Source
Alcoholism is a terrible fate for a young person. They become irritable and moody, as the craving for the next drink is a constant nagging presence. Getting the next drink becomes more important than grades, sports, or other activities he or she used to enjoy.
In addition to alcoholism, teens who drink are far more likely to try illegal drugs. In fact, research shows that 67 percent of teens who drink before the age of 15 will go on to use illegal drugs. They are 22 times more likely to use marijuana, and 50 times more likely to use cocaine. Source