Underage drinking costs the state of Texas over $5.5 Billion a year.

This number includes, but is not limited to such expenses as uninsured medical costs, property
damage, loss of life, fetal alcohol syndrome as well as the cost of treatment for alcohol-related medical problems (Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation, 2003).

The latest Texas School Survey on Substance Abuse Among Students Grades7-12 (2004) from the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) offers insight into the scope of the problem of youth substance abuse in Texas. According to the survey, the five substances most widely used by young people in Texas were –in order of use – alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants, and powder cocaine.Alcohol and tobacco are considered “gateway” drugs because their early use is associated with and a predictor of other drug use.

          Age of First Use in Texas
               Alcohol 12.4 years of age
               Cigarettes 12.5 years of age
               Marijuana 13.5 years of age

In 2004, the Substance Abuse and Mental Heath Services Administration reported that illicit drug use was 48.4 percent higher among youths aged 12 to 17 who smoked cigarettes than it was among youths who did not smoke cigarettes (6.1 percent). Among youth aged 12 to 17 who were heavy drinkers, they reported that 64.5 percent were also illicit drug users and for non-drinkers the rate was only 5.1 percent. It stands to reason that community and policy changes that reduce youth alcohol and tobacco use could affect other drugs as well.

Alcohol continues to be the most widely used substance among students with 67.9 percent of Texas secondary students reporting alcohol use at some pointin their lives and 26 percent reporting use in the last month. Those numbers are trending down over the long-term. However, alcohol is viewed as the easiest of the substances to get and its use continues to harm our youth.

Among Texas secondary students, the Survey revealed for the first time in its history:
     • Girls reported a higher rate of lifetime use of alcohol (69.3%) than boys (66.5%).
     • About 10 percent of secondary students said they attended class drunk at least once during the past school year.
     • Binge drinking, defined as in one sitting having five or more drinks for boys and four or more drinks for girls, was reported by 23 percent of the students.
     • 24 percent of seniors said they drove a car after having several drinks at least once
during the past year, representing 80,000 impaired drivers on Texas roads annually.

Read more in the Texans Standing Tall 2006 Report Card