In 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “11,773 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes,” accounting for about one-third “of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.” Additionally, more than “1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.”

The stats are just as tragic for young people. In 2003, 31 percent of drivers age 15 to 20 who died in traffic accidents had been drinking alcohol, and in 2008, more than 10 million persons aged 12 to 20 reported drinking alcohol in the past month. That translates roughly to 26.4 percent of this age group, an age group we cannot fail to notice was drinking alcoholic beverages illegally. That’s more than 1 in 4 obtaining dangerous intoxicants illegitimately.

Even more disheartening is that 6.6 million of underage drinkers in 2008 were also “binge drinkers” (admittedly lower than in 2007 but nevertheless alarming). According to the CDC, “binge drinking” is defined as drinking patterns that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 grams percent or above. “This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours,” the CDC says. I would add that the majority of “binge drinkers” are not typically considered alcoholics even though they severely abuse intoxicating beverages.

College students may be our biggest challenge. According to the latest CDC numbers, those between the ages of 18 and 22 who were enrolled in full-time college studies were more likely than their peers not enrolled full time to use alcohol. In fact, they were also more likely to severely abuse alcohol. A whopping 61 percent of full-time college students in 2008 were current drinkers. More significantly, over 40 percent practiced “binge drinking” with another 16 percent classified as virtually dependent (heavy drinkers). And while the percentage of current alcohol users decreased somewhat from 2007 to 2008 (a statistic we may applaud), the overall pattern has remained statistically consistent since 2002.

Perhaps we need to be reminded at this juncture that the studies on the usage of alcoholic beverages rightly do not focus on a false distinction between different kinds of “drinks.” One myth which surely needs a proper burial once and for all is the false presumption that intoxication potential is greater in consuming a serving of bourbon than a standard bottle of beer. Or even more popular is the belief that table wine carries the least intoxicating “punch” of any alcoholic beverage. The fact is, however, a typical can of beer (12 ounces), a shot of distilled spirits (1.5 ounces), and a serving of wine (5 ounces) have precisely the same amount of ethanol alcohol. Hence, one can rightly say, alcohol is alcohol is alcohol. One may get just as buzzed on a glass of wine as one does a mixed bourbon. Far too many succumb to the deception that drinking wine is not as “bad” as drinking whiskey. Remember: alcohol is alcohol is alcohol regardless of experiencing the buzz via bourbon, fine wines, or fancy fruit “wine-coolers.”

Where are all the underage drinkers getting their alcohol? In 2008, more than 56 percent of drinkers aged 12 to 20 reported their most recent use of alcohol (within 30 days) occurred in someone else’s home. However, almost 30 percent reported they drank in their own home.

About a third of underage drinkers pay for alcohol use, but only a fraction of those actually purchase the alcohol themselves (8.3 percent). The other two-thirds majority got the alcohol from persons over age 21 (37 percent) or persons aged 12-20 (21 percent). Most troubling is that more than 1 in 5 underage drinkers get their alcohol from a parent, a guardian or other family member over age 21. Consequently, parents themselves are in some way directly responsible for thousands of teens killed on our highways every year, a horrifying but necessary reality to face.

With such a bleak picture of the drinking patterns of our next generation in mind, we ask once again whether “Fat Tuesday” and all the indulgence surrounding the biggest booze bash in America should remain a contemporary celebration birthed from medieval Christianity? With our most sacred responsibilities as parents at risk, how can we say yes to an age of indulgence?
Adapted from a Baptist Press article by Peter Lumpkins, a Southern Baptist minister who lives in West Georgia. He is the author of “Alcohol Today: Abstinence in an Age of Indulgence” (Hannibal Books). Originally posted at: http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=32504

 First Baptist Church of Perryville is located at 4800 West Pulaski Highway, one and a half miles east of Route 222.