Did you know … ?

Alcohol use can make you act and look stupid. Alcohol can make you feel more social and daring, but it actually is a depressant that slows down parts of your brain. That’s why people who have been drinking behave in ways they never would while sober.

Underage drinking makes you accident prone. Alcohol interferes with your vision, coordination, and concentration by acting as a sedative on your central nervous system. Nearly 190,000 12-to 20-year-olds wind up in an emergency room each year for alcohol-related problems. (The majority of those who do are male.)

Underage drinking can harm your brain The human brain is not fully developed until the mid-20s. Drinking alcohol, as with other drugs, can interfere with brain development.

Underage drinking kills. Alcohol interferes with your vision, coordination, and concentration by acting as a sedative on your central nervous system. Each year, about 5,000 young people die from injuries caused by alcohol use.

Alcohol use may cause depression or make it worse. Young people who feel depressed are more likely to drink alcohol, but alcohol is not a cure for depression. If you are depressed, ask an adult for help.

Buying or possessing alcohol beverages is illegal for anyone under age 21 in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and most U.S. Territories.

Alcohol is alcohol. A 12-ounce can of beer or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor contain the same amount of alcohol and have the same effects on your mind and body. There are no “safer” drinks.

You can’t make yourself sober after drinking. It takes an average of 2 to 3 hours for a single drink to leave a person system. Drinking coffee, taking a cold shower, or “walking it off” can’t speed up this process.