Statistics

Alcohol and Drugs

  • Nearly 50% of students have tried alcohol by 10th grade.
  • About 75% of students have tried marijuana by 12th grade.
  • 48% of teens say the illegality of drugs doesn’t deter them from experimenting.
  • Children cite other people's homes as the most common setting for drinking.
  • 25% of 12th graders reported having had 5 or more drinks in a row in the last two weeks
  • More than 5 million high schoolers binge drink at least once a month.
  • 33% of sixth and ninth graders obtain alcohol from their own homes.
  • 23% of teens have a friend or classmate who has used Ecstasy.
  • Nearly 85% of high school seniors reported they could obtain marijuana very easily.
  • Among teens 12 to 17, the average age for first trying marijuana was 14 years old.
  • Cocaine was involved in over 400,000 Emergency Room visits annually.
  • Teens who drink are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teens who never consume alcohol.

Anger

  • Among children, 3-17 years-old, 20% actually abuse their parents physically.
  • Teens who use alcohol and drugs are much more likely to express anger physically.
  • Over 50% of angry teens were engaged in risky behaviors, including binge drinking, drug usage, unsafe sex and carrying weapons.
  • 23% of youths ages 12-17 reported that in the past year, they had gotten into a serious fight at school or work.
  • Nearly 25% of all murders are committed by teenagers.

Eating Disorders

  • Up to 10 million American teens develop eating disorders.
  • 51% of 9 and 10 year-old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet.
  • Nationwide (in the previous 30 days), 12 % of high school students had gone without eating for 24 hours or more to lose weight or keep from gaining weight.
  • 35% of "normal dieters" progress to pathological dieting.
  • A young woman with anorexia is 12 times more likely to die than other women her age without anorexia.
  • According to The Center For Mental Health Services 90 percent of those who have eating disorders are women between the ages of 12 and 25.
  • 78% of girls report being unhappy with their bodies by the time they reach seventeen.
  • Anorexia nervosa typically appears in early to mid-adolescence.
  • Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting and diet-related products each year.

Sex and Sexuality

  • More than 50% of U.S. teenagers, 15-19 have engaged in oral sex.
  • Over 60% of teens will have had intercourse by 12th grade.
  • 40% of American girls become pregnant before age 20.
  • Every year about 25% of sexually active teens get a Sexually Transmitted Disease.
  • Among the 33.9% of currently sexually active high school students nationwide, 23.3% had drunk alcohol or used drugs before their last sexual intercourse.
  • 50% of sexually active youth will contract an STD by age 25.
  • About one in ten girls who has sex before age 15 describes it as involuntary.
  • The United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births in the western industrialized world.
  • 48% of gay/bisexuals became aware of their sexual preference in high school.
  • 50% of all gay and lesbian youth report that their parents reject them due to their sexual orientation
  • 26% of gay and lesbian youth are forced to leave home because of conflicts over their sexual orientation.
  • Approximately 28% of gay and lesbian youth drop out of high school because of discomfort (due to verbal and physical abuse) in the school environment.

Cutting and Self-harming

  • Sexual abuse in childhood is associated with later incidents of self-harming.
  • One study indicated that 41% of self-harmers injured themselves while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
  • Deliberate self-harm is the strongest risk factor for future suicide.
  • 7-14% of adolescents will self-harm in their lifetime.
  • Having a friend who self-harms dramatically increases a child’s risk of self-harming

Depression and Suicide

  • About 20 percent of teens will experience teen depression before they reach adulthood.
  • Most teens with depression will suffer from more than one episode. Twenty to 40 percent will have more than one episode within two years and 70 percent will have more than one episode before adulthood.
  • 30 percent of teens suffering from depression will also develop one or more problems with substance abuse.
  • Between 15% and 30% of teens with serious depression who think about suicide go on to make a suicide attempt.
  • Every 15 minutes a suicide occurs in the United States
  • There are an estimated 8-25 attempted suicides for each teen suicide death.
  • Episodes of teen depression generally last about 8 months.
  • Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 -24 year olds.
  • Four out of five teens who attempt suicide have given clear warnings.
  • Nationwide, 16.9% of high school students had seriously considered attempting suicide during the past year.
  • A CDC survey shows that 17% of 9-12th graders seriously considered suicide.
  • 53% of young people who commit suicide abuse alcohol and/or drugs.
  • The CDC reports that guns are the #1 suicide method for boys.
  • A new CDC study shows that the #1 suicide method for girls is suffocation/hanging.