1) Have you had an alcoholic drink before you were 21?
87% of adults who drink have had their first drink before they were 21. Individuals who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become alcohol dependent than those who begin drinking at age 21.2) Do more teenage males drink than females?
Trends are changing: there are as many female ninth graders as males who drink.3) Rank the use by teens from highest to lowest of the following controlled substances: marijuana, cigarettes (tobacco), alcohol
High School responses: 81% alcohol, 70% cigarettes (tobacco), 47% marijuana4) If you are a female, have you ever had four or more consecutive drinks? If you are a male, have you ever had five or more consecutive drinks?
These amounts constitute "binge" drinking which is a serious, destructive problem. Alcohol destroys liver enzyme function, which we cannot live without, in addition to causing cellular (chemical) breakdown and neurological, psychological and emotional dysfunction.