Statistics vary but the best estimates indicate that there could be more than four million American alcoholics under the age of eighteen. And the age of experimentation is getting younger. Today's junior-highers are facing decisions about drugs that were once reserved only for older youth. Trying alcohol today is already more common among current fifth graders than it was among current eighth graders when they were in the fifth grade. Substance use among adolescents is a problem the size of Goliath.
Alcohol depresses the central nervous system.
There are two other situations in which alcohol use has potentially lethal consequences. One is the use of alcohol in combination with other drugs, especially barbiturates. The other is its use in combination with driving. There are some factors associated with the use of alcohol and the part alcohol use plays in the adolescent's life. The physical development accompanying puberty leads to a heightened awareness of body sensations.