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A joint effort of Nebraska Law Enforcement Agencies to curb underage drinking |
Think Before You Wink
Grand Island Substance Abuse Coalition
219 W. 2nd Street
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 385-5520
Working together with:
Hall County Sheriff's Office
131 S. Locust Street
Grand Island, NE 68801
Project Coordinator:
Randy See
coordinator@thinkb4uwink.com
What Happens When Kids Drink
Alcohol is a depressant of the nervous system. It appeals to teens because it makes them feel more confident and relaxed. But the brain responds to alcohol in different ways during adolescence than during adulthood.
Alcohol can interfere with the normal growth and development of young teenagers, causing physical and psychological impairment. At the very least, alcohol affects the capacity to learn, memory retention, and decision-making on a short-term basis. At worst, this brain damage can be permanent as the alcohol hinders physical development.
Kids under the influence of alcohol show poor school performance because of these effects. Worse yet, alcohol alters perceptions of spatial relationships, reduces motor function, slows reaction time, and distorts
judgment. When inexperienced drivers drink, these impairments increase the risk of vehicle crashes.
If you add these physical effects to the long term damages of alcohol abuse, the results of teen alcohol use is devastating.
Psychological effects of early alcohol abuse are even worse. Adolescents age 12 to 17 who use alcohol are more likely to have behavioral problems, especially aggressive, delinquent and criminal behaviors. These behaviors include fighting, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and skipping school. Kids who drink exhibit signs of anxiety, depression and sometimes, blackouts.
Kids in Nebraska Drink
Teens under the influence of alcohol are more likely to participate in sexual activity which can bring about sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy.
- 25% of all the alcohol consumed in America is done so by persons under the age of 21.
- The average age for a first drink is 13, but kids everywhere have been known to get drunk as early as age 10.
These statistics are true in Nebraska, right here in our 9 county area.
Local law enforcement agencies point out 1066 teens were arrested in 2002 for MIP (Minor in Possession). Worse yet, cops estimate they discover and cite less than 5% of drinking teens.
In our nine counties between 2000 and 2002, 163 kids were injured or killed in vehicles driven by kids under 21 who had been drinking.
Teens in Nebraska are not only drinking, they’re drinking, driving and dying.
Help us make it stop.
Tell your kids, your friends, and their kids, too.
Don’t give kids alcohol.
It’s illegal and it’s dangerous.