Now is the time to say “Not in My House”

By Bobby Horn Jr.

Bee Staff Writer

 

Recently I heard a very disturbing statistic: in Texas the average age a person takes their first drink of alcohol is 11.3 years. As the parent of a 10- year old I find this scary. I thought I had a few years before I had to have “that talk.”Underage drinking is a serious issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States, more than tobacco and illicit drugs, and is responsible for more than 4,300 annual deaths among underage youth. Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States. More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinks. On average, underage drinkers consume more drinks per drinking occasion than adult drinkers. In 2010, there were approximately 189,000 emergency rooms visits by persons under age 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.”

 

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