Johnson County Facts

Johnson Co. Facts About Teen Drinking

The average age of the first "full drink" of alcohol in Johnson County is 13.2 years old (or sixth-grade) and the average age of regular usage is 14.7 (or eighth-grade).
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 greatest single cause of death for persons aged 6–33. About 45 percent of these fatalities are in alcohol-related crashes.
Alcohol kills 6½ times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined
Parents' drinking behavior and favorable attitudes about drinking have been positively associated with adolescents initiating and continuing drinking.
An average of 58 percent of Johnson County students (grades: sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th) report personally knowing “at least one” adult who has “gotten drunk or high” during the past year.

Kids who drink at home are more likely to drink away from home.
32.4 percent of sixth-graders, 63.5 percent of eighth-graders, 79.8 percent of 10th-graders and 82.1 percent of 12th-graders reported that they would NOT be caught by police if they were drinking alcohol in their neighborhood.

33.9 percent of all Johnson County 12th-graders report they have had five or more alcoholic drinks in a row within the past two weeks (binge drinking). Overall, 14.4 percent of students in grades sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th have reported binge drinking within the past two weeks.
19.6 percent of Johnson County eighth-graders, 38.3 percent of Johnson County 10th-graders and 53.0 percent of 12th-graders reported having used alcohol within the past 30 days.