By Paola Bisbal
Alcohol continues to be the most widely abused substance amongst underage youth in the United States, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. It is a prevalent issue that poses serious public health problems and legal consequences.
Data collected and analyzed by the Oxford Treatment Center found that people aged 12-20 years old reported using alcohol and/or participating in binge drinking within the past 30 days as of March 2025.
In general, around 1.82 million people 12-17 years of age reported drinking alcohol within the last 30 days, and 1.17 million reported having participated in binge drinking.
Specifically in Florida, over 100,000 people under the legal drinking age reported alcohol use in the past 30 days.
Florida ranks within the top five states with the highest amount of underage binge drinking. Around 48,000 underage people reported participating in the act of binge drinking within the last 30 days.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the legal drinking age in Florida was increased from 19 to 21 back in 1986. The intended goal was to reduce the frequency of underage drinking and driving.
Underage drinking in Florida poses a huge threat to young and developing generations. The reason why someone underage decides to engage in underage drinking can vary or include multiple factors.
The most common reason tends to come from peer pressure. The desire to fit in and be accepted by peers could make someone much more easily influenced, leading a young person to become more likely to engage in underage drinking with friends.
This is a prevalent problem that can easily apply to high school teens. High school junior Ivan Carreras said he understands what being put in that situation feels like.
“I have been invited to parties where I know there is going to be alcohol or hanging out with my friends and suddenly one of them suggests the idea of grabbing a bottle from their parents’ bar,” Carreras said. “When moments like that happen, I quickly say no or leave as soon as I can, it’s just not something that interests me.”
Carreras said that he has seen and dealt with family members who suffer from alcohol dependency and the many ways it negatively changes people, influencing him to say no.
“I don’t think drinking adds anything of value to your life, if anything, it makes things worse,” he said. “I made a promise to myself that I would never drink, and I intend to keep that promise.”
Additional factors that can lead young people to drink also include environmental and familial influences, lack of parental discipline, wanting to appear or act older than their age or to cope with underlying illnesses/problems.
Alongside the many factors that contribute to someone’s decision to engage in underage drinking come the health consequences of taking those actions.
According to the National Institutes of Health, drinking at an early age poses a range of negative risks. First and foremost, it can lead to an increased chance of developing an alcohol use disorder later in their adult life. This condition is characterized by an impaired ability to control or stop alcohol intake even if it imposes social and health issues.
Registered nurse Kesha Nuss has years of experience dealing with patients who have recurring issues with alcohol abuse.
“When I worked at a hospital, I dealt with many cases of alcohol poisoning, severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, alcoholic nephropathy [kidney damage caused by chronic alcohol abuse] and much more,” Nuss said. “The most frustrating part as a healthcare worker is that I can only help treat them while they are at the hospital. Once they are discharged, it’s up to the patient to make the decision to get that extra bit of help.”
Nuss mentioned that many of these cases came from patients who struggled with drinking for many years. For many of these patients, they never seriously considered that they could eventually fall ill because of their alcohol dependency.
Other serious risks include the negative impact it can have on a young person’s developing brain and their mental health. This can lead to the chance of experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety. These mental health problems pose a threat to one’s ability to carry out their day-to-day activities.
Another major risk imposed by underage drinking comes from being caught by law enforcement and facing legal repercussions.
According to The Wiseman Law Firm, penalties that can come from being caught with the possession and/or consumption of alcohol, also known as minor in possession, include having to pay fines, complete community service, a driver’s license suspension, having to complete alcohol education or treatment programs and even jail time for repeat offenders.
A minor in possession charge in Florida can have serious consequences, having a potential impact on future opportunities and even leading to a criminal record.
Underage drinking poses several risks that can have long-term consequences. Experts say early intervention and communication between parents and children are key to addressing the issue.
For Lisandra Rios, a mother of two daughters, that was one of the more significant conversations she had when her kids entered high school.
“My goal was to have them understand all the risks that could potentially happen if they decided to drink, especially if unsupervised,” Rios said. “I just wanted them to know that they didn’t need to feel pressured to drink, and if they ever had any questions that they could come to me.”
Rios said she wanted to ensure that she was conversing with her daughters instead of a lecture, so they wouldn’t feel defensive or lead to an unnecessary argument.
According to the drug prevention program for youth, Natural High, having these types of conversations early on can help young people shape their decision-making skills during a window where their brains are still in a phase of rapid development.
Underage drinking is a multi-faceted issue with multiple factors influencing those who decide to engage in it. According to the National Library of Medicine, it can lead to serious personal, social and economic consequences for adolescents, their families and communities.
Different strategies have been developed to help reduce and prevent underage drinking, according to NIH. This can include reducing the number of places that sell alcohol, enhancing enforcement laws that prohibit alcohol sales to people younger than 21 years old, raising awareness on the issue, limiting the amount of alcohol advertisements shown to young people and developing community-based programs.
These different strategies all aim to contribute to reducing the number of youths that engage in underage drinking, a recurring problem in the state of Florida.