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The Price of Underage Drinking
Ever wondered what the real price of underage drinking is? Besides the obvious emotional and physical tolls on kids, the real price is $3 billion. That's according to a new Department of Children and Families study.
That breaks down to $165 per Floridian in the costs of crime, traffic accidents, and associated health care.
Here's the breakdown on the expenses associated with underage drinking:
Risky sexual behavior — $291.1 million
Fetal alcohol syndrome — $75.4 million
Medical and other costs for alcohol-related injuries — $202.5 million
Suicides and suicide attempts — $48.3 million
Alcohol abuse treatment — $2.8 million.
Underage drinking is not just something we've got to warn our kids against. The crime, health care costs, and traffic accidents amount to a serious amount of money that the state is having to spend on Florida's kids drinking.
But, cost aside, underage drinking is an indicator of more serious problems. Children not being involved in their education. Children becoming involved in crime. And, we see the results in Florida. Florida ranks 48th nationally in average ACT scores. Florida also ranks 48th nationally in juvenile incarceration rates- the result of which is directly linked to underage drinking.
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