Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, annually, about 5,000 youths under the age of 21 die from motor vehicle crashes, other unintentional injuries, homicides and suicides that involve underage drinking. Furthermore, underage drinking has been associated with future alcohol dependence. Analyses of data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions show that people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence during their lifetime than