According to a Surgeon General's study, about 5,000 people under the age of 21 die each year as a result of drinking.

Not only can the dangerous behavior kill you, there are other long term effects.

11 News Reporter Tim Ciesco breaks down the health risks.

Health experts say when it comes to drinking alcohol, many teens don't give a second thought to throwing one back.

And unfortunately, they don't give a second thought to the serious risks it poses either.

"The unfortunate thing is that with drinking it's a fatal mistake often times,” says Dr. Jill Hilty.

Doctor Hilty says most people understand there are medical risks involved with drinking alcohol.

"Alcohol is considered a toxin for the body,” she says.

But many don't realize how much, or in teens cases how little, it takes to do serious harm to your body.

"An equal amount of alcohol between someone who's 15 and someone who's 35 can be significantly different as far as the effects of what happens," she says.

She says because teen livers just aren't used to dealing with alcohol, it takes a lot less for seizures, blackouts, and alcohol poisoning to kick in. All of which can be fatal.

"There's significant consequences to drinking," she says.
And experts say those consequences go far beyond physical health.

Michelle Hoy with Colorado West Mental Health says, "Drinking alcohol causes lots of changes in the adolescent brain and has more damage in an adolescent brain."

Hoy says she's seen numerous cases where a person started drinking heavily as a teen and although they may be well into their 20s now, because alcohol slows down the brain's development, their brains and skills are only as developed as a teen's.

"Adolescents who drink heavily are less able to perform those tasks in adulthood,” Hoy says.

She says alcohol can also lead to severe depression in teens.

"It makes things worse. Alcohol is actually a depressant and it slows everything in the body down."

And then there's the ways it can slow down your future.

The Mesa County Health Department says if teens are under in the influence of alcohol, they are more likely to engage in risky behaviors.

Kristy Emerson, spokeswoman for the Mesa County Health Department, says, "Definitely STDs and pregnancies can be one of those long term consequences."

Officials say teen birth rates in Mesa County have been on the rise over the past 3 years and having to take on parenthood or an STD at a young age will change your life's plans forever.

"Stay teens, make choices that are going to allow you to be a teenager,” she says.

And finally, there's the ultimate consequence.

"If you come to our office, it's usually devastating,” says Mesa County Coroner Dr. Dean Havlik.

Havlik says that has especially been the case recently with a rash of fatal crashes caused by alcohol.

"They're young, they have a bright future ahead of them and it's a tragedy," he says.

In addition to crash victims, Havlik says his office examines several young people every year who had too much to drink and fell victim to alcohol poisoning.

"That part is probably the most difficult of our job when our office has to tell the loved ones that their family member has died,” he says.

With body, mind, livelihood, and life at stake, health officials have one message when it comes to underage drinking:

"No, it's not worth it."

Tim Ciesco for KKCO 11 News.