The promotion of drinking among teens in TV shows and movies might have you thinking that most teens are drinking alcohol on a regular basis, but that idea is not backed up by statistics. According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, only 6.9% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 reported drinking alcohol within the past 30 days. The majority of middle school and high school students under 18—93.1% of them—are making healthy choices.
When you factor in students 18 to 20, that percentage does jump to 14.6%, but that still means that most people under the age of 21 (85.4%) have not had any alcohol in the past 30 days. That statistic surprises most people.
Why Teens and Young Adults Choose Not to Drink Alcohol
At one of our local high schools, National Honor Society members asked various students why they choose not to drink. As you can see in the video, the answers varied, but the two most common responses are:
- Because I’m an athlete.
- It causes health problems.
More teens are making the choice not to drink alcohol, and this trend is not limited to the U.S. A 2023 study in New Zealand found that social media and spending time online are replacing drinking and partying. In addition, not drinking has become more normalized and accepted. And a greater respect for personal choice has also decreased the social pressure to drink.
Health Risks Presented by Underage Drinking
There several health risks that are reduced by waiting until you are 21 or older to drink alcohol. They include the following:
- The brain continues to develop until age 25 for men and age 22 for women. Drinking as a teenager can adversely affect this development, potentially impacting memory. Waiting until later helps protect the brain.
- Drinking alcohol can inhibit growth.
- Each year, approximately 4,000 people under the age of 21 die from excessive alcohol use.
- Alcohol has a negative impact on your ability to make sound decisions. This can lead to a variety of negative consequences. For example, it may cause a short temper, which in turn can lead to fights and injuries. It can also lead to sexual violence.
- Alcohol is a depressant. If you are trying to self-medicate because you are in emotional pain, alcohol will make it worse, even if that doesn’t seem true at first. This can lead to lower grades, missing school, or even suicide.
- People who start drinking before the age of 15 are at a higher risk for developing alcohol use disorder (AUD) later in life. (See the NIAAA website for more information.)
Many people are surprised to learn that alcohol has also been linked to various types of cancer, including mouth and stomach cancer.
Making Healthy Choices
You have the right to choose what goes into your body. Don’t let anyone pressure you into drinking. Decide on your reasons to not drink ahead of time and keep your focus there. If you are feeling unsafe or pressured to drink, call your parent or a trusted adult to come get you.
If you are tempted to drink (or do already) due to emotional or physical pain in your life, reach out to someone for help. Learning other coping mechanisms, such as exercising, gardening, singing, painting, talking with others, and journaling, can help. It can be hard to work through the pain, but with support from others, you can do it. You are not alone.
Additional resources:
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/underage-drinking/index.html
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/underage-drinking