Turning Students’ Attention To Pitfalls Of Underage Drinking In A State That Minimizes Its Effects

Elizabeth Dohms and Mary Kate McCoy:

Yet while Wisconsin’s rate of underage drinking has dropped significantly, about 65 percent of Wisconsin high school students reported having at least one drink ever on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

That’s above the national average of 60 percent.

“Think of it as a report card with a bunch of C minuses on it,” Sherman said.

The number of Wisconsin high schoolers who have at least tried alcohol fell by just 1 percentage point between the 2013 and 2017 reports; whereas the national rate dropped by 6 percent.

For Madison, a Wisconsin high school student, being asked to drink is a fairly common occurrence with her peers. For the most part, those who offer drinks usually accept her excuses that she has other things to do.

She’s worried it will affect her participation in clubs and sports.