Underage Drinking In Ventura County
FACT
SHEET
Underage Drinking in Ventura County
U
nderage drinking continues to be a substantial problem in Ventura County. As a recent survey reports, alcohol use is highest among 18 to 20 year olds who are not of legal age to purchase it.
In 2004, The Ventura County Behavioral Health
Department contracted with the Social Science
Research Center (SSRC) at the University of
California, Fullerton to conduct a survey concerning alcohol use in Ventura County and to benchmark public sentiment regarding underage drinking. The survey results in this fact sheet pertain to questions about underage and binge drinking, settings in which drinking occurs, youth access to alcohol, and binge drinking and driving.
Survey Methodology …show more content…
The prevalence of alcohol use is lowest among
Spanish-speaking females (just 3.8%).
• Males binge drink at more than four times the rate of females. Among all survey respondents,
17.7% of males compared to 4.3% of females report “binge drinking” on one or more occasion in the past thirty days.1
• Young adults binge drink at almost three times the rate of older adults. Among survey respondents who consume alcohol, 42.0% of those 25 years of age and younger report binge drinking in the last thirty days, compared to
14.5% of those 26 years of age and older.
• Binge drinking is significantly more prevalent among young men. 62.1% of males 25 years of age and younger who drink report binge drinking at least once in the last 30 days.
Included in this proportion is 35.1% that report binge drinking three or more times in the last month.
Settings for Binge Drinking
• Private homes are the most frequent location for binge drinking. Among respondents that report binge drinking, the most frequently …show more content…
Binge Drinking and Driving
than 21 years of age, the legal drinking age in
California2.
The Importance of Preventing
Underage Drinking
Underage and binge drinking among youth and young adults is a significant public health and safety issue. Underage drinking is a factor in nearly half of all teen automobile crashes and 50 to 65 percent of youth suicides.3 Alcohol consumption has other adverse consequences for individuals including injuries and accidents, unplanned or unprotected sex, fights, sexual assault, or date rape, and other violence. Alcohol contributes to youth homicides and suicides. Youth particularly experience damage to their physical, cognitive, and social development.
Moreover, youth who begin drinking alcohol before age 15 are four times more likely to become dependent on alcohol than those who wait to begin drinking until age 21.4
1
2
3
4
• Few admit to excessive drinking and driving, but the proportion that does is much higher among younger adults. Just 8.5% of survey respondents that report binge drinking in the past 30 days report that they drove, “during or within a couple of hours after this occasion.” However, the rate
SHEET
Underage Drinking in Ventura County
U
nderage drinking continues to be a substantial problem in Ventura County. As a recent survey reports, alcohol use is highest among 18 to 20 year olds who are not of legal age to purchase it.
In 2004, The Ventura County Behavioral Health
Department contracted with the Social Science
Research Center (SSRC) at the University of
California, Fullerton to conduct a survey concerning alcohol use in Ventura County and to benchmark public sentiment regarding underage drinking. The survey results in this fact sheet pertain to questions about underage and binge drinking, settings in which drinking occurs, youth access to alcohol, and binge drinking and driving.
Survey Methodology …show more content…
The prevalence of alcohol use is lowest among
Spanish-speaking females (just 3.8%).
• Males binge drink at more than four times the rate of females. Among all survey respondents,
17.7% of males compared to 4.3% of females report “binge drinking” on one or more occasion in the past thirty days.1
• Young adults binge drink at almost three times the rate of older adults. Among survey respondents who consume alcohol, 42.0% of those 25 years of age and younger report binge drinking in the last thirty days, compared to
14.5% of those 26 years of age and older.
• Binge drinking is significantly more prevalent among young men. 62.1% of males 25 years of age and younger who drink report binge drinking at least once in the last 30 days.
Included in this proportion is 35.1% that report binge drinking three or more times in the last month.
Settings for Binge Drinking
• Private homes are the most frequent location for binge drinking. Among respondents that report binge drinking, the most frequently …show more content…
Binge Drinking and Driving
than 21 years of age, the legal drinking age in
California2.
The Importance of Preventing
Underage Drinking
Underage and binge drinking among youth and young adults is a significant public health and safety issue. Underage drinking is a factor in nearly half of all teen automobile crashes and 50 to 65 percent of youth suicides.3 Alcohol consumption has other adverse consequences for individuals including injuries and accidents, unplanned or unprotected sex, fights, sexual assault, or date rape, and other violence. Alcohol contributes to youth homicides and suicides. Youth particularly experience damage to their physical, cognitive, and social development.
Moreover, youth who begin drinking alcohol before age 15 are four times more likely to become dependent on alcohol than those who wait to begin drinking until age 21.4
1
2
3
4
• Few admit to excessive drinking and driving, but the proportion that does is much higher among younger adults. Just 8.5% of survey respondents that report binge drinking in the past 30 days report that they drove, “during or within a couple of hours after this occasion.” However, the rate