Website Strives to Combat Underage Drinking
/The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut (WSWC) has launched a website developed to discourage underage drinking. The initiatives comes following the very successful annual video contest for college students on the subject, with winning public service videos being aired on local television stations. The new website is part of the WSWC’s Community Relations Program, developed to advance the prevention and reduction of underage consumption of alcohol and the misuse of alcohol in Connecticut through community education. Among the points made:
- Kid’s brains aren’t finished developing until their mid-20’s, so young people may not have the judgment or impulse control to make good decisions all the time, especially regarding alcohol use. Youth who drink are more likely than adults to consume large quantities of alcohol in a sitting. In fact, it’s not uncommon for young people to drink until blacking out.
- Young minds have an incredible potential to learn, but heavy drinking during the teen years, even just once a month, can permanently damage learning, memory, decision-making and reasoning abilities and can short-circuit the brain “wiring” needed to become a responsible adult.
- Young drinkers also risk putting themselves on the road to addiction – 40% of those who drink before age 15 become alcoholics while only 7% of those who begin drinking at age 21 develop alcohol problems.
