SAN ANTONIO – An alarming new study is shedding light on the growing problem of alcohol abuse among teenagers. Parents, get ready for this. The number of high school students who are using alcohol has jumped 11 percent in just one year.
"We were very alarmed," said Mario Martinez with the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.
News 4 WOAI sat down with Martinez, who says an 11 percent jump in the number of teen drinkers is shocking, especially since that number had been going down for a decade.
“What we've seen also is the number of deaths occurring in motor vehicle accidents due to alcohol use among teens and young adults," Martinez told News 4 WOAI.
Bringing the party to a tragic end, not only for the teen behind the wheel, but also for friends in the car and anyone on the road with them.
“First of all, they think they're invincible at their young age and therefore when they get behind the wheel [they think] ‘I can take my friends home. I've had five, six drinks. I'm fine’,” Martinez said.
News 4 WOAI called the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission to find out how it’s cracking down. TABC officials tell us they're enforcing underage drinking laws with zero tolerance. In fact, with spring break on the horizon, TABC agents began a major multi-county sting operation in South Texas two weeks ago.
As for parents, Martinez says, the best thing you can do for your teenagers is to sit down with them before spring break gets underway and talk honestly about not drinking.
"That discussion is the most important thing," said Martinez.
News 4 WOAI also learned San Antonio TABC agents are in South Padre and Port Aransas to crackdown on underage drinking at those Spring Break hotspots. Authorities say the bottom line is: if you're underage and caught with alcohol, you will be charged.
Metro Health will host a town hall meeting on March 23 to confront the issue of underage drinking. The public is welcome. Metro Health officials specifically encourage teens and their parents to attend.
Underage Drinking Prevention Town Hall Meeting
Tuesday, March 23 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
San Antonio Central Library, Auditorium (600 Soledad)
Question/Answer Session & Open Discussion
Refreshments provided
