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Many adolescents find alcohol in cabinets at home

By Staff Writer

As communities across the country struggle to control the issue of underage drinking, a new study reveals that the solution may be right in the family liquor cabinet. Recently, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released new data that showed that many kids who drink find the substance in their own homes.

The study was based on data collected between 2006 and 2009 in surveys conducted by SAMHSA. The National Surveys on Drug Use and Health examined more than 44,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 14. Through analyzing this information, SAMHSA determined that approximately 6 percent of individuals consumed alcohol within a 30-day period. The organization was also able to determine that almost 93 percent of them obtained the liquor from cabinets in their own homes.

SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde says that kids who begin drinking before age 15 are six times more likely to develop alcohol problems later in life than those who begin at the legal age of 21.

The 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealed that 42 percent of high school students had consumed alcohol within a 30-day span, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Counseling and mentoring can help troubled teens who are susceptible to underage drinking.

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