These are why it's against the law. Most people know the dangers of driving after drinking, regardless of age. But few realize the many other ways in which excessive drinking is risky. Alcohol use increases the chances an individual will be injured or die as a bicyclist , or in a fire , from a fall , while swimming , as a pedestrian . And because of the way they drink, teens are particularly susceptible to alcohol poisoning .
Date rape is merely the tip of the huge iceberg that is violence in intimate relationships.
Alcohol use , usually by both parties, is often involved in each of these . This type of violence generally begins before individuals are eighteen years old. Another dimension of excessive drinking by young people is its negative effect on quality of life , not only for the drinker, but also for those who love, befriend, or merely live near him or her. Many a college student can tell how his property was damaged by a drunken fellow student, or whose ability to concentrate on writing a paper was ruined because of her noisy, intoxicated housemates. Recently, several tragic incidents involving excessive drinking on college campuses have received extensive publicity.