Teenage Drinking: American Teen Girls Start Drinking Earlier Than Boys, Study Says

A new study revealed one surprising detail about teenage drinking in the United States. A team of researchers from Michigan State University found that American teen girls are more likely to start drinking earlier than their male counterpart.

Student Science reports that the new study, published in the journal "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research," analyzed the prevalence of teenage drinking among young Americans aged 12 to 24 years old. Study results showed that American teen girls, aged 14 to 15 years old, are almost 25 percent more likely to start consuming alcoholic drinks than boys of the same ages.

Anti-Teenage Drinking Campaigns Fail To Engage American Teen Girls

Hui Cheng, author of the study, said that the research is the first to report at a national scale that American teen girls are more likely to start drinking earlier than boys. She attributed the latest findings to the present anti-teenage drinking programs that are more focused on boys than on girls.

Cheng pointed out that there is a need to change the present anti-teenage drinking campaigns to target American teen girls and encourage them to get rid of the habit. She also added that further research has to be done to trace the factors that drive girls to start drinking at an early age.

Serious Effects Of Teenage Drinking

Scott Swartzwelder, co-author of the study, disclosed that teenage drinking may affect the brain development of a teenager. Compared to adults, he said that a teen's brain is more sensitive to the long-term effects of alcohol on memory and learning.

Aside from disrupting the development of the brain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that among the serious consequences of teenage drinking are school, social, legal, sexual, memory and physical problems. Teenagers who drink too much alcohol are also at higher risk for suicide, homicide, drug abuse, untimely death and accidents.

According to CDC, teenage drinking is responsible for the death of more 4,300 American teenagers every year. Despite the fact that teenage drinking is illegal, Americans aged 12 to 20 years old took 11 percent of the total alcohol consumption in the U.S.

Is there a need to change the present anti-teenage drinking programs in the U.S.? Share your thoughts below.