A new government survey based on 158,000 teens ages 12 to 20 found there are about 10.8 million underage drinkers. More concerning is the fact that most teens involved in the survey received alcohol from either their parents or other adults.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration conducted the survey between 2002 and 2006 questioning teenagers about behavior and social situations involved in underage drinking.

According to the findings, 40 percent of teens said they got alcohol from a parent or adults for free in the last 30 days. To be more specific, one in four said they got it from an unrelated adult, one in 16 got it from a parents or guardian, and one in 12 got it from another adult family member.

“In far too many instances parents directly enable their children’s underage drinking,” Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson said, according to the Associated Press.

And as if these figures are not sufficiently concerning, the survey also found that about 3.5 million of the teens had alcohol use disorder, or dependence on alcohol.

A report issued earlier this week by the Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University blamed the cable TV advertising companies manufacturing alcohol for the increased number of teens drinking too much alcohol.

The situation worsens, as alcohol consumption led to about 5,000 deaths among underage drinkers. Dr. Galson enumerated some of the incidents directly linked to alcohol consumption, more exactly, sexual assaults, falls, automobile accidents, and increased rates of suicide and homicides.

Among other findings of the survey:

- Alcohol consumption increased with age: 7 percent of youth aged 12 to 14 were using alcohol, compared with 27.5 percent of youths aged 15 to 17 and 51.3 percent of 18 to 20 year olds.

- Most participants (80 percent) engaged in binge drinking while being with two or more friends the last time they drank.

- Underage drinkers drank an average of 4.9 drinks when they were in groups of two or more, compared with 3.1 drinks when only one other person was present and 2.9 drinks when they were drinking alone.

- A little more than half of the kids surveyed said they drank at another person’s home.