Alcohol Facts & Resources

For more information on "Why Not?" to drink alcohol underage during 2010 Spring Break, here are some facts about alcohol, consequences you could face, and resources regarding alcohol and addiction.  

Take One: Alcohol, the cold, hard facts.

The younger you are when you start drinking alcohol, the greater the chance of becoming addicted to alcohol at some point in your life.  More than 4 in 10 people who begin drinking before age 15 eventually become alcoholics. 

People who use both alcohol and drugs also are at risk for dangerous interactions between these substances.  For example, a person who uses alcohol with depressants, whether these drugs are prescribed or taken illegally, is at increased risk of fatal poisoning. 

In 2006, 19% of drivers ages 16 to 20 who died in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking alcohol.

*Source: Facts compiled by AbovetheInfluence.com, visit site for further source information.

Take Two: Consequences of Underage Drinking.

Possess an alcoholic beverage if you’re under 21, and you could face 60 days in jail or a $500 fine.

Misrepresent your age, or the age of anyone else, for the purpose of buying or being served alcoholic beverages, and you could face 60 days in jail or a $500 fine.

Possess a forged, stolen, borrowed, fictitious, counterfeit, or unlawfully used Florida Driver’s license or Florida ID card or trade or supply someone else with a State of Florida issued driver’s license or ID card, and you could serve five years in jail or a $5,000 fine. 

Take Three: Resources.

Want to learn more to help keep teens alcohol free?  Visit the Governor’s Office of Drug Control’s “Be the Wall” Web site.

If you or a friend have an addiction problem or need other information, be sure to check out one of these helpful web sites:

AbovetheInfluence.com

AddictionSearch.com

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

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