A message from United States Senator Jean Carnahan. The Parents Who Host, Lose the Most education campaign is to be commended. I encourage parents to support this initiative to create alcohol and drug-free environments in homes across the nation. An adolescent may be become addicted to alcohol in as little as 6 to 18 months. The adolescent's central nervous system and brain are not fully developed and are especially sensitive to alcohol and other drugs.
Addiction happens much faster.
Research shows that the longer you delay the onset of alcohol use with a young person, the less likely they are to experience problems with use later in life. Youth who are drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to become dependent than those who wait until age 21. Youth who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine and 7.5 times more likely to use any illicit drug than young people that never drink alcohol. The U.S. Surgeon General reports that life expectancy has improved in the U.S. over the past 75 years for every age group except one. The leading cause of death is drunk and drugged driving.