Is There an Underage Substance Abuse Problem in Rhode Island?
• Alcohol is the number one drug of choice in Rhode Island and nationally
• In Rhode Island, the average age of first use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs is 12
• The cost of underage alcohol use in Rhode Island is estimated to be almost $501 million [ Institute on Research and Evaluation]
According to the 2005-2006 S.A.L.T. Survey of Rhode Island schools:
 | 54% of Cumberland High School students reported using alcohol at least once during the previous 30 days and 17% reported using alcohol 20 or more times during this period |
| 39% of Cumberland High School students reported using illegal drugs (such as marijuana, uppers, downers etc.) at least once in the previous 30 days and 19% reported using illegal drugs more than 10 times during this period |
| Cumberland High School students are drinking more and using more illegal drugs compared to the state averages of 43% drinking alcohol in the past 30 days and 27% reporting illegal drug use in the previous 30 days |
| 7% of middle school students (grades 5-8) reported using illegal drugs such as marijuana within the previous 30 days |
| 17% of middle school students reported having used alcohol at least once within the previous 30 days |
| More alarmingly, 57% of middle school students and only 34% of high students think there is great risk in having 5 or more alcoholic drinks (considered binge drinking) on one or two occasions in a weekend |
Why Should We Care?
• Alcohol use is linked with a host of social problems including: date rape, sexual harassment, unwanted pregnancy, sexually-transmitted diseases including AIDS, racial disturbances, school drop-out, overdose deaths, fires, homicides, suicides and traffic crashes
• In young people, alcohol use negatively affects brain development, ability to learn. and social development
• For males, chronic heavy drinking (as well as marijuana use) may result in testicular atrophy; and for females, alcohol use may increase the risk of breast cancer
• Teen drinking is the primary contributing factor for adult alcoholism. Children who begin drinking before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to become alcoholics than are individuals who do not drink before age 21 [ Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), 2003]
• Almost all teens who try alcohol progress to regular use. According to national surveys, among high school seniors who have ever tried alcohol. 9l% report they are still drinking in the 12th grade; and of the students who report having been drunk, 83% report still getting drunk in the 12th grade. (CASA 2003)
• Teens who drink are 7 times more likely to engage in sex and are 5 times more likely to drop out of school than are teens who do not drink [CASA]
• Nationally, among teens under the age of 18 in long-term state-operated institutions (like the R.I. Training School), 30% were under the influence of alcohol at the time of their arrest [ Bureau of Justice statistics]