Alcohol is a drug that numbs the brain.  If too much is used, it paralyzes the nerve center in the brain and puts the brain to sleep….also slowing the respiratory system.  If the lungs stop sending oxygen to the brain, breathing stops….resulting in alcohol poisoning and death.”  Milton Creagh—National Family Partnership

 

 

 

According to the Texans Standing Tall website, the statistics about  underage drinking in Texas are staggering. 

 

 

·The average age for first use of beer in Texas is 12. 4.

 

 

25% of High school seniors say they have driven a car while drunk.

Texas led the nation in alcohol-related deaths in 2002…47% of the traffic fatalities in the state.

· More than 9% of all secondary students said they attended class while drunk at least once during the past school years.

 

 

Drinking alcohol before the brain is finished developing (around the age of 24) causes damage to areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory.

 

 

The younger that a person is when they start drinking alcohol, the higher the risk is for being alcoholics later in life

 

Teens who report that their parents   allow them to drink at home or on special occasions, are 3 times more likely to drink and drive, and use illicit drugs

 

According to the Texas Department of Transportation,

· A shocking 33% of all high schoolers are binge drinkers (4 or more drinks at one time).

· Underage drinking is a factor in nearly half of all teen car crashes.