Alcohol is the most commonly used substance among young people in the United States. According to the 2021 Idaho Healthy Youth Survey, nearly 32% of Idaho youth reported drinking alcohol. This number includes 24.8% of 8th graders, 37% of 10th graders, and over 50% of 12 graders. Of those who report drinking alcohol in the past 30 days, nearly 12% reported binge drinking (having 5 or more drinks of alcohol in a row within a couple of hours).
Research suggests that one of the most important factors in healthy child development is a strong, open relationship with a parent. It is important to start talking to your children about alcohol and other drugs before they are exposed to them - as early as 9 years old.
Did you know that in the United States a standard alcoholic drink is considered to be any drink that has 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol (known as the alcoholic drink-equivalent). Each of the drinks pictured below contain the same amount of alcohol. Despite their size difference, they are all an example of one U.S. standard alcoholic drink.
As a person drinks, the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level, which is the amount of alcohol present in your bloodstream, increases. The higher your BAC, the more impaired you become by alcohol. These effects may include:
In the United States, binge drinking is when you drink 5 or more alcoholic drinks within 2 hours. To keep your drinking moderate, women should have no more than one drink a day. Men should have no more than two drinks a day.
Learn more about alcohol misuse.
Learn why women and men have different alcohol recommendations.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol poisoning kills more than 2300 people each year in the United States. The following symptoms are warning signs of alcohol poisoning:
If the person is unconscious, breathing less than eight times a minute, or has repeated, uncontrolled vomiting, call 911 immediately. When someone is unconscious or has stopped drinking, alcohol continues to be released into the bloodstream and the level of alcohol in the body continues to rise.
Deployment and combat exposure can result in new alcohol-related behaviors such as more frequent drinking and binge drinking. Studies have found military men and women often turn to alcohol to deal with combat-related stress and trauma. Veterans also have to deal with the experiences they face when they return home - alienation, changed family circumstances, and readjusting to civilian life. On top of this are the possible ailments that many veterans suffer including: PTSD, depression, and traumatic brain injury. All of this can predispose individuals to addiction.
Alcohol misuse includes binge drinking and heavy drinking.
There are a wide range of short- and long-term consequences associated with alcohol misuse.
It helps to know the signs so you can make a change early.