Underage drinking and

the Outcomes in North

Carolina
By Harsh Shah
The Problem
 The problem in today’s society is that young
adult’s under the age of 21 are starting to
consume alcohol at such a young age. The
consumption of alcohol makes people
vulnerable to certain consequences which
they regret in the end.
Consequences Caused by
Consumption
 Unsafe Sexual Intercourse
 Fatalities by Drunk Driving
 Alcohol Sickness (Alcohol Poisoning)
 Violence
 Impaired Judgment
 Addiction
 Depression
Alcohol Consumption and
Unprotected Sex
 In the United States, an estimated 19 million are
diagnosed with an STD (Sexually Transmitted
Disease) infection. Approximately half of these
diseases infect individuals between the age of
15-24.
 In a nationwide college survey, an estimated
80% of college students have engaged in
sexual intercourse, however, only about one
third have reported that they regularly use
condoms.
 In North Carolina, 84 new cases of HIV have
been discovered in male college students from
37 schools and universities.
North Carolina Drunk Driving
Statistics in 2009
Reported Crash Injuries:
 Non-Fatal Injuries:108,669
 Fatal Injuries:1,346
 Total Injuries: 110,015
Alcohol Related Crash Injuries:

 Non-Fatal Injuries: 8,767

 Fatal Injuries: 394
 Total Injuries: 9,161
Percent Alcohol Related:

 Non-Fatal Injuries: 8.1%

 Fatal Injuries: 29.3%
 Total Injuries: 8.3%




Pre-Mature Drinking
 In the United States, teens have started drinking from the pre-
mature age of 12. Starting to drink from this age can lead to
serious deficiency of the human body, and can even lead to
addiction.
 Underage drinking is widespread in North Carolina.
Approximately 351,000 underage youth in North Carolina
drink each year.
In 2007, according to self-reports by North Carolina

students in grades 9-12:

 20% had their first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips,
before age 13.
 38% had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more occasion
in the past 30 days.
 21% had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (i.e. binge
drinking) in the past 30 days.
 5% had at least one drink of alcohol on school property on one
or more of the past 30 days.
The Facts
Possible Solution
 In the year’s 2003-2004, unlike other states,
North Carolina saw a 4.7% increase in alcohol
related fatalities.
 Research has proven that drivers under the
influence have either been missed at sobriety
checkpoints, or have taken alternate routes to
avoid the checkpoints.
 A possible solution would be to provide more
sobriety checkpoints throughout area’s where
higher fatalities occur.
 Authorities should also post themselves at
events where heavy drinking is occurring.
Citations

 Abbey, Antonia. "Condom use with a casual partner: What distinguishes college
students' use when intoxicated?." Vol 21.1 03 2007. 7. UNC Charlotte. Web. 4
Dec 2010.
<http://wf2dnvr13.webfeat.org:80/DUkOP11761/url=http://web.ebscohost.co
m.librarylink.uncc.edu/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=108&sid=e1f6a06e-15be-
49da-a15f-
aa3c21aadb00%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d
%3d#db=pdh&AN=adb-21-1-76>.
 American Beverage Institute, . "Sobriety Checkpoints Ineffective In North
Carolina." Drink Responsibly. Drive Responsibly. (2010): n. pag. Web. 3 Dec
2010. <http://abionline.org/news_detail.cfm?id=297>.
 "Crash Data." University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.
NCAF, 2009. Web. 03 Dec. 2010.
<http://www.hsrc.unc.edu/ncaf/crashes.cfm>.
 "Underage Drinking In North Carolina The Facts." (2009): 2. Web. 3 Dec 2010.
<http://www.udetc.org/factsheets/NorthCarolina.pdf>.
 Wells, JK. "Drinking drivers missed at sobriety checkpoints." ALCOHOL RES
DOCUMENTATION INC CENT ALCOHOL STUD RUTGERS UNIV, PO BOX 969,
PISCATAWAY, NJ 08855-0969 58.5 09 1997. 5. UNC Charlotte. Web. 4 Dec
2010.
<http://apps.isiknowledge.com.librarylink.uncc.edu.wf2dnvr13.webfeat.org/ful
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