Data sources - Cobb County Board of Health Youth Survey ©1999; National Household Survey on Drug Abuse ©1998; Monitoring the Future Survey, National Institute on Drug Abuse ©1998; Youth and Alcohol: A National Survey, in a report to the Surgeon General ©1991; Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Center for Disease Control and Prevention ©1998; Cobb County Public Safety ©1998; U.S. Office of Management and Budget ©1998

Georgia Alcohol Laws

According to Georgia law (O.C.G.A., Section 3-3-23): Parents cannot give alcohol to their teen’s friends who are under age 21, under any circumstances, even in their own home, even with their parents’ permission. Adults cannot knowingly allow a minor, other than their own child, to remain in their home or on their property while consuming or possessing alcohol. In Georgia, the state sets minimum alcohol licensing & regulatory standards. Local governments can set more stringent standards & harsher penalties. Georgia’s “social host liability” law was created by case law in 1985, allowing the courts to settle lawsuits against adults who serve alcohol negligently.

• It’s illegal for adults to provide alcohol to youth under 21.

• It’s illegal for retailers to sell/serve alcohol to youth under 21.

• It’s illegal for parents or other adults to “host” underage drinking parties.

• It’s not your call…it’s the law. Period!

If You Break the Law

Criminal action can include various fines, penalties and/or imprisonment. Up to $1,000 and/or 12 months confinement for a first offense, under state law. Additional penalties vary, under local laws. Civil action can include substantial financial liability if injuries and/or death result from an underage drinking accident. It is not uncommon for salaries and personal property to be garnished as a result of such lawsuits. There have been significant increases in the number of such civil cases in Georgia courts over the past decade. 

Why 21?

The 21 MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) saves the lives of well over 1,000 youth each year and when the MLDA is lowered, motor vehicle crashes and deaths among youth increase. At least 50 studies have evaluated this correlation. Alcohol is a contributing factor in the 3 leading causes of death for youth ages 15-20: accidental injury, suicide and homicide. The U.S. Surgeon General reports death rates for 15-24 year-olds are higher today than 20 years ago. An adolescent’s central nervous system and brain are not fully developed until age 21 and they can become addicted to alcohol in as little as 6 to 18 months. Young people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21. More than 67% of young people who start drinking before the age of 15 will try an illicit drug. Teens under 15 who have ever consumed alcohol are twice as likely to have sex as those who have not.