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Continuing the Conversation2024-12-13T14:49:43-05:00
# Keep The Conversation Going
## Learn why continued conversations and open dialogue with young peopleis critical for preventing underage alcohol consumption
### Use These 5 Strategies To Help Prevent Underage Drinking
Young people and alcohol don’t mix. Follow these suggestions and
take an active role in reducing underage drinking statewide.
### Stay Close
* Children are less likely to drink when their parents or guardians and other trusted adults are engaged in their day-to-day lives.
* Spend time talking and interacting with young people — during meals, hanging out at home, spending time outside, or visiting with friends. The location isn’t as important as the time invested.
* Create a positive, loving environment wherever you are — whether it’s at home, in the classroom, or on the field; be kind and respectful of each other. If there’s a need to correct behavior or give consequences, ensure that the young people you’re close to know they’re still loved.
* If you’re a parent or guardian, make it easy for your children to share information with you. Take time every day to talk with them about their interests and activities. Try to set aside at least 15 minutes a day of one-on-one time.
### Stay Involved
* Take an active interest in education! Young people who make an effort to get good grades and are involved in school activities are less likely to drink underage.
* Children need fun. Help young people get involved in worthwhile activities and provide them (and their friends) with safe, enjoyable, “no-alcohol” options.
* If you’re a parent or guardian, help your children choose friends wisely. Get to know their friends (and their parents). Peers who drink are the single greatest risk factor for underage alcohol use.
### Stay Alert
* Know where your children are, who they’re with, and what they’re doing. At some level, most kids appreciate parental monitoring — it’s very real proof that their parents love them and care about their well-being.
* Pay attention to your child’s emotional state. Watch for signs of excess stress or depression. Be vigilant during times of transition — switching schools, moving, going through a divorce. These can all lead to underage drinking. You can help by offering healthy solutions like music, exercise, or talking with a trusted friend, counselor, or medical provider.
* Check on your kids when you’re not around — make a phone call, send a text, and have an emergency contact in place. It’s not about a lack of trust; it’s about ensuring their safety.
* Make sure alcohol isn’t accessible at home, or from friends, siblings, or at parties. If they go to a friend’s house, call to make sure their parents will be home and there will be no alcohol. Studies show kids are at higher risk for alcohol, drugs, and sexual behavior between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., while many parents and guardians are still at work.
* Create an X-Plan. If your child finds themselves in a risky situation, they simply need to text you the letter “X” as a signal that they need help to gracefully escape an uncomfortable situation. Once you get the text, call your teen or young adult with a previously agreed-upon message.
### Set A Good Example
* Educate and demonstrate the zero tolerance law, as it relates to driving, with the youth in your life. Remember that while the legal driving limit for adults is .08, anything above .00 is illegal for anyone under the age of 21.
* It’s not just what you say — it’s what you do. Consistency is key.
* If you drink, you can positively influence young people by drinking in moderation.
* Be aware of where you keep alcohol, lock it up if possible, and make sure young people know that any alcohol in your house is off-limits.
* Never provide access to underage alcohol consumption. Giving teens alcohol, or a location to consume it, is illegal and exposes you to criminal and civil liability.
### Face Peer Pressure With Parenting Community Partnerships
* If you know a child’s friends are drinking, tell their parents. The risk of not saying anything is too high.
* It’s smart to share with other parents and guardians the challenges you’re facing and collaborate with them on solutions.
* There’s safety in numbers. Work together with others in the parenting community to reinforce safety-first boundaries, rules, and assistance for young people.
* Rest assured; you are not alone. Every parent is dealing with the same issues you are, and they want to help their children make responsible and healthy decisions.
Do You Have Tips On How To Handle Young People And Alcohol?
We’d Love To Hear What’s Worked For You.
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2025-01-22T10:22:35-05:00January 21, 2025|
State Initiative to Prevent Underage Drinking Gives Parents and Teens Tools to Make Smart, Safe Decisions  RALEIGH, N.C. – (January [...]
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2024-11-27T11:24:31-05:00November 27, 2024|
Statewide Initiative Shows Parents How to Start The Conversation About Teenage Alcohol Misuse    RALEIGH, N.C. – (December 2, 2024) – [...]
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Underage Drinking Facts2024-11-19T13:30:43-05:00
# Underage Drinking Facts
## Discover the latest statistics and learn how stigma and behaviorssurrounding underage drinking are changing
### The Truth About Underage Drinking
The legal drinking age in North Carolina — and throughout the United States — is 21, yet according to statistics, alcohol is the most commonly used substance among young people. In fact, underage drinking often starts early. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that nearly 20% of youth between the ages of 12 to 20 self-reported that they drank alcohol in the past 30 days. 1!
### Underage Drinking Statistics
The data shows that not only have 23% of high school students had alcohol in the past month, but many have also engaged in other dangerous alcohol-related, risky behaviors: 214% binge drank  5% of drivers drove after drinking alcohol  17% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol
### But exposure to alcohol happens long before high school.
10% of 12-year-olds say they have tried alcohol. 3  15% of 8th graders have consumed alcohol in the last year. 4  2% of 8th graders report being drunk in the past month
What does this mean for the parenting community and other youth leaders?
We can’t wait until high school to start the conversation about underage drinking. We must start earlier — to help empower young people to say no to underage drinking.
###  Reasons Why Teenagers Drink
* 1
  Curiosity
* 2
  Peer pressure – they are desperate to fit in
* 3
  Environmental influences like advertising, social media, movies, and TV
* 4
  To cope with stress or underlying issues
* 5
  To seem older or more independent
* 6
  They lack set guidance and boundaries from authority figures
*Stats from Kidshealth.org*
## The Dangers of Underage Drinking
### Underage Drinking Can Kill
• Every year, more than 4,000 alcohol-related deaths among young people under the age of 21 5• In 2021, there were nearly 20 teen fatalities in North Carolina due to drunk driving 6
• Alcohol-related deaths among people 16-20 years old increased nearly 30% between 2019 and 20207
### Underage Drinking Can Lead To Other 
* Trouble in school, including higher rates of absences or lower grades
* Social struggles, such as fighting or lack of participation in youth activities
* Legal problems, such as arrest for driving under the influence or physically hurting someone while drunk
* Physical setbacks, like hangovers or illnesses
* Physical and sexual violence
* Alcohol poisoning
* Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes and other accidental injuries, such as burns, falls, or drownings
* Memory problems
* Misuse and abuse of other substances
* Changes in brain development that may have life-long effects
### Underage Drinking Is Linked To 
• Anxiety sensitivity
• Elevated levels of depression
• Increased risk of alcohol misuse in adulthood
• Worsened stress response
• Increased risk of suicide 8
## Did You Know North Carolina Has A Zero-Tolerance Policy?
While the facts on the health implications of underage drinking are startling, there is also the potential for serious legal ramifications. Under current , a person under the age of 21 caught purchasing, attempting to purchase, consuming, or possessing alcohol will be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor. In addition, obtaining or distributing a fake ID, or letting someone borrow a legitimate license, is a criminal offense. Sentencing is left to the judge’s discretion.
North Carolina takes a zero-tolerance stance against drivers who are under the legal drinking age but drank and then got behind the wheel. Any amount of alcohol will result in an immediate 30-day pretrial revocation of their driver’s license. If an underage drinking driver refuses to take a sobriety test, they could be convicted of driving after drinking if the smell of alcohol was on their breath. If convicted, the Division of Motor Vehicles can revoke that person’s driver’s license.
“People under age 21 simply cannot drive with any alcohol or illegally-used drugs in their systems – ****”
**Now’s the time to talk with young people about underage drinking.**
Effects of Alcohol on the Developing & Teenage Brain2024-11-19T13:31:16-05:00
# Effects Of Alcohol On The Developing & Teenage Brain
## Learn more about the risks of underage drinking
### Alcohol And The Developing Brain
The human brain doesn’t fully mature until about age 25 — therefore, alcohol impacts the adolescent brain differently than it does the adult brain.
!!ConsciousnessMemoryCoordinationBreathingImpulse ControlJudgement
Access the statewide report on the effects of alcohol on the adolescent brain, developed in partnership with experts from the **** at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, , **Duke University Medical Center, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Wake Forest University School of Medicine.**
## Did You Know?
### 
#### Chances of developing a substance use disorder:
41%
Kids who begin drinking before age 15
10%
 Someone who waits until age 21
### Drinking alcohol can cause a decrease in brain activity
These brain scans show functional activity levels in the brain of a healthy non-drinker (left), and a sober 21-year-old with a four-year history of heavy alcohol use (right). **The “holes” indicate areas of reduced brain activity**.
© Dr. Daniel Amen; www.amenclinic.com
## Effects of Alcohol on the Teenage Brain
### Fast Facts
* **Emotional areas of the brain mature before the frontal cortex (which helps to manage impulse control). This is the reason for adolescent thrill-seeking, risky decision-making, and recklessness.**
* Due to the immaturity of the frontal cortex, adolescents are more responsive to the promise of rewards and threats (especially social threats), than adults. They also place more importance on short-term rewards over future benefits.
* **This “brain imbalance” is the reason adolescents prioritize their peers’ opinions and why they are more likely to react without considering the consequences.**
* Alcohol slows down brain activity, and the negative effect of alcohol lasts longer in a teenager’s brain than in an adult’s (up to two weeks).
* When a teenager uses alcohol, they risk the normal development of good judgment and impulse control.
* Underage drinking can also damage the memory and learning areas of the brain.
### Underage Drinking: Short-Term Impairment
* Adolescents are less sedated by alcohol than adults.
* Alcohol reduces “social anxiety” more so in adolescents than adults.
* These factors make adolescents more likely to binge drink than adults.
* Alcohol affects learning and interferes with other “brain health” behaviors, undoing the benefits of good health habits.
* Binge drinking in adolescents leads to negative consequences such as blackouts (loss of memory from the event), unplanned and unwanted sexual activity, fights, accidents, and driving after consuming alcohol.
### Underage Drinking: Long-term Consequences
* Underage drinking inhibits the process by which the hippocampus forms new cells.
* Binge levels of alcohol consumption in adolescence can alter brain development and brain function.
* Adolescent alcohol use increases the activation of brain signals that contribute to inflammation.
* The younger someone starts drinking, the greater the chance they will misuse substances later in life.
* Alcohol can cause specific changes in the brain that potentially increase the risk of alcohol-use problems.
### How Alcohol Can Effect an Athlete
* Alcohol can hurt your performance for up to 72 hours (about 3 days) after you consume alcohol causing you to react slower on the field
* Chronic alcohol use can depress the immune system increasing risk of injury
* Alcoholic drinks contain lots of empty calories therefore increasing fat
* Regular Alcohol use can lead to difficulty processing and storing memories, which can affect your ability to learn plays or do well in school
* Regular consumption of alcohol can damage long-term performance by causing muscle loss and weakness
* Drinking to celebrate a big win slows down post-game recovery
### Underage Drinking Affects More Than Just The Brain