Do you know what counts as one standard drink?
While a 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits may look very different, they each contain approximately the same amount of pure alcohol. Understanding standard drink sizes can help parents and teens make informed decisions and recognize how alcohol affects the body.
🎥 Watch: What’s in a Drink?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ip5Xeeb1Eo
The good news is that underage drinking continues to decline. According to the 2024 Monitoring the Future survey:
- More than 6 in 10 teens report they have never consumed alcohol.
- The percentage of teens who report drinking alcohol has declined by more than 55% since 1991.
The 2024–2025 Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS/YTS) shows that 12.7% of Howard County high school students reported currently drinking alcohol, demonstrating that the vast majority of youth are making healthy choices, while alcohol use remains a concern for some students.
Parents remain one of the strongest influences on their children’s decisions. Talking early and often about alcohol, setting clear expectations, and modeling healthy behaviors can help prevent underage drinking.
Remember:
- Beer, wine, and liquor can contain the same amount of alcohol.
- Alcohol affects everyone differently. Body size, biological sex, and the amount consumed all influence its effects.
- Women and girls (sex assigned at birth) generally experience alcohol’s effects more quickly because they typically have less body water than males.
Families can also reduce the risk of substance misuse by securely storing medications, alcohol, cannabis products, and other potentially harmful substances out of children’s reach and discussing healthy ways to respond to peer pressure.
Learn the facts and start the conversation today.
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