By the numbers Underage drinking

7 million: Number of Americans over the age of 21 who are addicted to alcohol

80: Percentage who began drinking before the age of 18

13: Average age at which youths began drinking alcohol in 2004

$53 million: Estimated annual cost of underage drinking in the United States in medical care, lost productivity, and death of young drinkers

$261 million: Estimated annual cost of underage drinking in Maine

Source: Maine Attorney General’s Office

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