Three out of four students have consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of their high school career.
Approximately 5,000 young people (under the age of 21) die as a result of underage drinking.
1,900 from motor vehicle crashes
1,600 from homocides
300 from suicides
3 out of 4 twelfth graders, 2 out of 3 tenth graders, and 2 out of 5 eighth graders have consumed alcohol.
16% of alcohol consumption in the US is done by underage drinkers.
3.5 million teens (age 12-20) meet the criteria for having an alcohol use disorder.
Alcohol is involved in 31% of teen car accident fatalities.
The average blood-alcohol level of intoxicated underage car accident victims was 0.40 percent, five times the legal limit for driving. motor vehicle crashes is the number one cause of among youth (ages 15-20).
During the last 30 days, 28.5% of high school students nationwide had ridden one or more times in a car or other vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol.
Tobacco/Drug Abuse
50% of Americans have tried cigarettes by 12th grade.
25% of 8th graders have tried cigarettes.
Marijuana is the most highly used illegal drug.
86% of twelfth graders, 73% of tenth graders, and 41% of eighth graders consider marijuana easily accessible.
Youth ages 12-17 who believed that their parents would disapprove of using a particular substance were less likely to use that particular substance.
Depression/Suicide
13.7% of teens age 12-17 have had at least one MDE (Major Depressive Episode) in their lifetime.
Nationwide, 16.9% of high school students have seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.
8.4% of high school students have actually attempted suicide in the past year.
The rate of MDE is higher among females than males
Eating Disorders
In the past month, 12.3% of have gone without eating for 24 hours in an attempt to lose weight.
6.3% of students have used diet pills, powders, or liquids in an attempt to lose weight or keep from gaining weight.
1-2% of adolescent women suffer from bulimia.
1 in every 100 young women (ages 10-20) is starving herself, sometimes even to death.
Teen Pregnancy
31% of teenage girls become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20.
There are more than 750,000 teen pregnancies a year.
Of those, 80% are unintended,
And 81% are to unmarried teens.
Of those teens who have had sex, 55% of males and 70% of females said that they wished that they had waited longer.