Underage Drinking-Related Hospital Visits Nearly Double Over 4th of July Holiday Weekend

Post by Sarah Wilde

Hospital emergency department visits involving underage drinking nearly double during the Fourth of July Holiday weekend according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study reveals that daily underage drinking-related visits to hospital emergency departments are 87 percent higher during the Fourth of July weekend than they are on an average day in July. The report estimates that on an average day in July, there are 502 hospital emergency department visits involving underage alcohol use. For the three day Fourth of July weekend however, the number of daily hospital emergency department visits jumps to 938.

“Underage drinking is not a harmless right of passage. It has far-reaching consequences. In addition to emergency department visits, injuries, arrests and embarrassment, 5,000 deaths in people under age 21 are linked to alcohol each year,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. “Parents are a leading influence in their children’s decision to avoid alcohol.”

That means the tough job of parenting does not end when a child becomes a teenager, or wants to exert his or her own will on their weekend via alcohol consumption.   This study needs to be taken seriously, as it is more than only those who are drinking who become affected by their behavior … particularly when the teenagers get behind the wheel or are around other families.  Furthermore, mixing fireworks and alcohol is a dangerous combination that of course spikes in injuries and sometimes death.   Parents, talk with your children about the dangers of underage drinking and be a trusted resource for them when they want to talk with you about alcohol or drugs.   

If you need help, LifeSkills Authorities consults with parents on how to have the difficult conversations with their children about healthy viewpoints around alcohol.   Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!