By KRWG News
Las Cruces – The Mesilla Valley DWI Resource Center will present a town hall meeting on underage drinking prevention Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at Mayfield High School.
Young people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence and two and a half times more likely to become abusers of alcohol than those who begin drinking at age 21.
2007 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control show underage drinking is widespread in New Mexico.
Self-reports by the state's high school students showed about 1 in 3 had their first drink other than a few sips at age 13 or younger.
And more than one in four, 27 percent, reported binge drinking in the previous 30 days, that's at least five or more drinks in one sitting.
Thursday's town hall takes place from 6:00-7:00 p.m. in the Mayfield High School gymnasium.