DHSS Press Release

20% OF 8TH GRADERS REPORT USING ALCOHOL

A Call for Community Action on Alcohol & Teens to change the culture and attitudes toward drinking in Delaware

• What: Underage Drinking Prevention Meeting: A Call to Action on Alcohol and Teens
• When: March 22 from 6:30pm-8:30pm
• Where: Los Jardines 1000 W. 5th Street Wilmington, DE 19805

WILMINGTON - In its 2nd Community Action on Alcohol and Teens, the Latin American Community Center, makes an appeal to Delawareans to do more to stop Delaware's current underage drinkers from using alcohol, and to keep other young people from starting. Alcohol remains the most heavily abused substance by America's youth.

LACC in collaboration with the Federal Government's Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking and Delaware Health and Social Services Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health is sponsoring the event. Panelists representing various community and government agencies will be there to bring diverse perspectives on this issue. The purpose is to educate parents, teachers, officials, youth, and other community members about the impact that underage drinking has on the community, and encourage their participation in our call to action to address this issue.

Recent statistics show that in Delaware, more than 17 percent of 12 to 18 year olds reported drinking in 2005. Furthermore, 23 percent of high school seniors reported drinking alcohol as frequently as once a week.

New data show that approximately 29 percent of youth ages 12 to 20 have used alcohol illegally. By the time they reach eighth grade, 41 percent of adolescents have had at least one drink, and almost 20 percent report having been "drunk."

Alcohol use among children and adolescents starts early and increases rapidly with age. Alcohol use by the end of the sixth grade is reported by 20.9 percent of eighth graders in 2004. More than three out of every four students (77 percent) have consumed alcohol (more than a few sips) by the end of high school; nearly half (44 percent) have done so by the eighth grade. In fact, 60 percent of 12th graders and one-fifth (20 percent) of eighth graders reported in 2004 having been drunk at least once in their life.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.