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Many U.S. Youths Get Alcohol From Family or Home

A new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) indicates that an estimated 709,000 (5.9%) of adolescents aged 12 to 14 drank alcohol in the past month and that the vast majority of them (93.4%) received their alcohol for free the last time they drank. About 317,000 (44.8%) 12- to14-year-olds who drank in the past month received their alcohol for free from their family or at home.  This includes 15.7% (or an estimated 111,000) who were provided alcohol for free by their parents or guardians.

“People who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 15 are six times more likely than those who start at age 21 and older to develop alcohol problems.  Parents and other adults need to be aware that providing alcohol to children can expose them to an increased risk for alcohol abuse and set them on a path with increased potential for addiction,” says SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, JD.

— Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration