Frightening rise in binge drinking among California teens

Debbie Allen felt sick when she heard about the death of 15-year-old Sarah Botill after a night of drinking Dec. 5 at a weekend sleepover in Gilroy.

Her daughter, Shelby Lyn, died under eerily similar circumstances Dec. 19 last year in Redding.

Like Sarah, Shelby Lyn Allen, 17, was drinking with two friends late at night. Both Sarah and Shelby Lyn became ill and started throwing up. Both girls were so ill by morning they had only faint pulses and were unconscious. Both died shortly after calls to 911 around 9 a.m.

"Young adults think vomiting is a normal thing," Allen said. "They don't see it as a big deal, an alarm. If they're vomiting and fall unconscious, the only way to save them is to get medical attention."

After dropping for decades, binge drinking among California teens is on the rise, and the consequences are more deadly than ever.

Hard liquor has replaced beer as the alcohol that teens reach for, and vodka is the drink of choice, several experts said. By consuming some of the many sweet drinks with vodka aimed at the youth market, or mixing vodka with cola or orange juice, young drinkers can consume large amounts without tasting the alcohol.

"People don't realize how serious it is," said Renee Zito, director of the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. "It is increasingly a major problem in California."

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