Underage drinking continues to be a problem in the United States, affecting high school and college students alike. In a 2009 study, the Centers for Disease Control And Prevention reported that 42% of high school students had consumed alcohol in the previous month. As you can imagine, this statistic greatly increases for underage college students.
However, underage drinking in high school and college isn’t a huge surprise. The true shock comes from the excessive cost of drinking-related hospitalizations. The Mayo Clinic published a study today reporting that the total cost of hospitalizations for underage drinking-related incidents is an estimated $755 million per year.
Terry Schneekloth, M.D., a Mayo Clinic addiction expert and psychiatrist, expresses the gravity of teenage drinking. He explains, “When teenagers drink, they tend to drink excessively, leading to many destructive consequences including motor vehicle accidents, injuries, homicides and suicides.” Dr. Schneekloth stresses the economic severity of the situation as well as the future implications of underage drinking. He emphasizes the fact that, “Harmful alcohol use in adolescence is a harbinger of alcohol abuse in adulthood.”
Not only is underage drinking a legal problem that can lead to serious consequences in adulthood, but it is also becoming an economic concern, which will have an effect on the entire U.S.
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