Facts About Underage Drinking

The facts about underage drinking are scary, but with parental involvement and proper education, we can strive to turn what is believed to be a right into a "Wrong of Passage."

General facts

  • Parents' drinking behavior and favorable attitudes about drinking have been positively associated with adolescents initiating and continuing drinking.
  • Kids who drink at home are more likely to drink away from home.
  • It takes an adult about five years to develop into an alcoholic. In an adolescent, addiction takes only six to 18 months.
  • Traffic crashes are the single greatest cause of death for persons, ages 6 to 33. About 45 percent of these fatalities are in alcohol-related crashes.
  • Alcohol kills 6½ times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined.

Johnson County facts

  • The average age of the first "full drink" of alcohol is 13.3 years old, or seventh-grade.
  • Almost one in five 12th-graders and one in seven 10th-graders reported having been drunk or high at school at least once in the past year.
  • Many local students are engaged in binge drinking. Overall, 14 percent of sixth-, eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-graders reported having consumed five or more drinks in a row within the past two weeks, while 35 percent of 12th-graders reported having done so.
  • When students were asked if they would get caught by police if they drank alcohol or smoked cigarettes, more than three of five answered "No." More than half of students (53 percent) reported they also would not be caught by police if they used marijuana.
  • The abuse of prescription drugs by students is increasing. Among older teens, 15 percent of 10th-graders and 23 percent of 12th-graders reported using prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them. One in 13 10th-graders and one in 10 12th-graders had used these substances within the past 30 days.
    • Prevention specialists and law enforcement are concerned about these numbers because of the likelihood of addiction and possibility of turning to illegal drugs, such as heroin, as an alternative when prescription drugs become too expensive or difficult to obtain.
  • Johnson County students reported they thought it was very easy to get access to many illicit substances, including alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana.

* Sources: United Community Services - 2009 Johnson County Communities that Care
Student Survey; Regional Prevention Center of Johnson, Leavenworth and Miami counties.

In Kansas

Adults can be prosecuted for providing alcohol to minors. According to state statute, providing intoxicating liquor or cereal malt beverage to a person under the age of 21 is a class B misdemeanor. The punishment is a minimum $200 fine and a maximum $1,000 fine and/or up to 6 months in jail.

In addition, adults may be charged with child endangerment, which is defined as intentionally and unreasonably cause or permit a child under the age of 18 to be placed in a situation in which the child's life, body or health may be injured or endangered. Child endangerment is a class A misdemeanor, which means fines can be up to $2,500 and adults face up to one year in jail.

The state also has a "Social Hosting Law" that makes it a crime for parents to provide alcohol to minors on their land or in their house, whether they know about it or not. A conviction can result in a fine, ranging from $200 to $1,000, and can include up to six months in jail.

The Johnson County Attorney routinely seeks a jail term for convicted adults.

Anyone who is over 18 but under 21 also can be charged with these crimes if they provide alcohol to a minor.