Wild high school parties and binge drinking have long been the stuff of teen movies. But a new documentary, "Faded: Girls & Binge Drinking," paints a different, and less glorified, picture of underage drinking. The film chronicles real teen girls' alcohol abuse -- which including drinking to the point of blacking out and drunk driving.
The documentary inspired an ABC News report, which states that one in every four teenage girls binge drinks, consuming five or more drinks in one sitting. And according to ABC, it's often "good girls" who feel pressured to fit in that are most at risk.
17-year-old Erin Thomas confessed that at a recent party, she consumed 10 to 13 shots after drinking four beers -- an amount that could be lethal. Later that night, her boyfriend was pulled over and received a DUI, and Thomas was arrested for underage drinking.
Thomas said that she began lying to her mother about her drinking habits in eighth grade. "It was about me wanting to make a decision and knowing that I wasn't going to be able to do anything unless I did it behind her back," she told ABC. "I think one of the main things that I struggled with is trying to be independent at a young age."
The documentary highlights the fact that binge drinking often starts at a young age, and therefore that prevention measures should also begin in middle schools. According to ABC, those who delay drinking until after age 15 are five times less likely to abuse alcohol as adults.
Last month, a 19-year-old Megan Helal from Texas died after binge drinking at a frat party at Baylor University. According to Fox News, she consumed between 10 and 17 drinks in two hours. The fraternity is now being sued by her parents.
In other recent news, a recent study by Pediatrics has linked alcohol in movies like "Project X" and "The Hangover" to binge drinking among teenagers, finding that teens are more likely to engage in this behavior if they see characters in movies drinking alcohol.