TEEN ALCOHOL
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Snippets
Big allowances tied
to teen alcohol abuse
Should Parents Let
Teens Drink At Home?
Teen
Drinking at Home: Helpful or Harmful?
Cars, Alcohol
& Women Are Deadly Mix
Fight Teen Drinking
Harder
China Mulls Ban on
Alcohol, Tobacco Sales to Youths
Alcohol: Myths +
Truths
Tips for Teens: The Truth About
Alcohol
Alcohol Wholesalers Say Kids Get Alcohol
from Internet
Conn. Moves to Punish Parents Who Host Teen
Drinking Parties
Study Says Youth Who Own Alcohol-Branded
Items More Likely to Drink
Lowering the Drinking Age in New Zealand
Increases Car Crashes Among Youth
Alcopops
Drunkeness Triples College Kids'
Auto Injury Risk
Young Teens Who
Drink Are at Risk for Problems in Late Adolescence and
Adulthood
Alcohol's
Benefits On Brain Power May Be Overstated
Teens Drink
One-Fifth of U.S. Alcohol
Sobering Data On Student DWI
Habits
Keeping Tabs On Teens May Curb
Alcohol Use And Risks
Smoking, Drinking At School May
Be Contagious For Teens
Alcohol
Prevention for Middle Schoolers
Choices
Buzz Free Prom
Calif. Hearing Targets 'Alcopop'
Marketing
Study Says Youth Who Own Alcohol-Branded
Items More Likely to Drink
Teen Marines Allowed to
Drink
Teens Drink One-Fifth of U.S.
Alcohol
Parents are Clueless about Teen
Parties and Drinking, Drug Use
Alcohol Memorials
More on Drinking
And, even more on Drinking
Tips for Teens: The Truth About
Alcohol
Slang terms: Booze, Sauce, Brews, Brewskis, Hooch, Hard
Stuff, Juice
Get the Facts:
Alcohol affects your brain. Drinking excess
alcohol leads to a loss of coordination, poor judgment,
slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses, and even
blackouts.
Alcohol affects your body. Alcohol can damage
every organ in your body. It is absorbed directly into your
bloodstream and can increase your risk for a variety of
life-threatening diseases, including cancer.
Alcohol affects your self-control. Alcohol
depresses your central nervous system, lowers your
inhibitions, and impairs your judgment. Drinking can lead to
risky behaviors, including having unprotected sex. This may
expose you to HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
diseases or cause unwanted pregnancy.
Alcohol can kill you. Drinking large amounts of
alcohol can lead to coma or even death. Also, in 1998, 35.8
percent of traffic deaths of 15- to 20-year-olds were
alcohol-related.
Alcohol can hurt you -- even if you're not the one
drinking. If you're around people who are drinking, you
have an increased risk of being seriously injured, involved
in car crashes, or affected by violence. At the very least,
you may have to deal with people who are sick, out of
control, or unable to take care of themselves.
Before You Risk It: Know the law. It is
illegal to buy or possess alcohol if you are under 21.
More facts.
One drink can make you fail a breath test. In some
states, people under the age of 21 who are found to have any
amount of alcohol in their systems can lose their driver's
license, be subject to a heavy fine, or have their car
permanently taken away.
Stay informed. "Binge" drinking means having five
or more drinks on one occasion. About 15 percent of teens
are binge drinkers in any given month.
Know the risks. Mixing alcohol with medications or
illicit drugs is extremely dangerous and can lead to
accidental death. For example, alcohol-medication
interactions may be a factor in at least 25 percent of
emergency room admissions.
Keep your edge. Alcohol can make you gain weight
and give you bad breath.
Look around you. Most teens aren't drinking
alcohol. Research shows that 70 percent of people 12-20
haven't had a drink in the past month.
Know the Signs: How can you tell if a friend has a
drinking problem? Sometimes it's tough to tell. But there
are signs you can look for. If your friend has one or more
of the following warning signs, he or she may have a problem
with alcohol:
- Getting drunk on a regular basis
- Lying about how much alcohol he or she is using
- Believing that alcohol is necessary to have fun
- Having frequent hangovers
- Feeling run-down, depressed, or even suicidal
- Having "blackouts" -- forgetting what he or she did
while drinking
- Having problems at school or getting in trouble with
the law
What can you do to help someone who has a drinking
problem? Be a real friend. You might even save a life.
Encourage your friend to stop or seek professional help. For
information and referrals, call the National Clearinghouse
for Alcohol and Drug Information at 800-729-6686.
Questions & Answers:
1. Aren't beer and wine "safer" than liquor? No.
One 12-ounce beer has about as much alcohol as a 1.5-ounce
shot of liquor, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a wine
cooler.
2. Why can't teens drink if their parents can?
Teens' bodies are still developing and alcohol has a greater
impact on their physical and mental well-being. For example,
people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more
likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin at age
21.
3. How can I say no to alcohol? I'm afraid I won't fit
in. Remember, you're in good company. The majority of
teens don't drink alcohol. Also, it's not as hard to refuse
as you might think. Try: "No thanks," "I don't drink," or
"I'm not interested."
Published By: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administrations, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
Source: alcoholscreening.org/learnmore/teens.asp
Fight Teen Drinking Harder
Underage drinking is a 53 billion dollar problem that needs
society-wide treatment, including higher alcohol taxes and
tougher sales laws, a new analysis says.
Source: www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC251/333/24524/369135.html?d=dmtICNNews
Parents are Clueless about Teen
Parties and Drinking, Drug Use
According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse, parents are out of touch with reality concerning
their views on teenage parties. In fact, 80% of parents
believe that alcohol and pot are not available at their
teens' parties. In an age where 8 out of 10 high school
students have used alcohol, and 50% have used marijuana,
parents need to "wise up." To read this story, click
here:
Source: www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-16-teen-parties_x.htm
Alcohol Wholesalers Say Kids Get
Alcohol from Internet
The trade association for the wine and liquor wholesalers
industry -- a group that stands to lose big from direct
sales of alcohol -- has released a study saying that 2
percent of 14- to 20-year-olds have purchased alcohol
online.
Reuters reported Aug. 22 that a survey of 1,001 youths
sponsored by the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America
(WSWA) also reported that 12 percent of youths surveyed said
they had friends who had bought alcohol online.
"This is a dangerous situation," said WSWA chair Stan
Hastings. "For the first time, we have hard evidence that
millions of kids are buying alcohol online and that the
Internet is fast becoming a high-tech, low-risk way for kids
to get beer, wine and liquor delivered to their home with no
ID check.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2006/alcohol-wholesalers-say-kids.html
Editor's Note: Then there are states like
Oregon that actually have laws that support underage
drinking and they have no intention of changing them. The
legislature has also have made it so that local communities,
cities or counties are not allowed, by law, to establish a
wine, beer or liguor tax to pay for treatment program while,
at the same time, the same legislature is cutting back on
drug and alcohol treatment programs in the state. Because of
this, it is expected that there will be an increase in child
abuse.
Also, while a breathilizer may by used as evidence of
under-age drinking, it cannot be used as evidence against
adults. That sure makes me feel safer driving at night,
especially as the bars close. It seems that the liquor and
hospitality industries are responding by saying "Let's drink
to that." Ever wonder who really writes these laws?
Other states permit officers to actually go into bars and
arrest drunks. Some states are actually thinking of the
innocent that could end up on the wrong end of the car or
the fist if these drunk's can stumble behind the wheel on
their way home. - Gordon Clay
CT Moves to Punish Parents Who Host
Teen Drinking Parties
After years of failure, a bill that imposes tougher
penalties on parents who host underage-drinking parties has
passed the Connecticut House of Representatives, the
Stamford Advocate reported.
The bill, approved 123-23, is a compromise that allows
misdemeanor, but not felony, charges to be filed against
adults who knowingly allow anyone under age 21 to possess
alcohol on their property. Even adult babysitters and others
who have "dominion and control" over a property could be
charged.
Also, the bill increases the penalty for minors in
possession of alcohol from a fine of $200 to $500 for second
offenses.
Police also would have increased power to enter homes to
investigate underage drinking.
The measure now goes to the state Senate.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2006/conn-moves-to-punish-parents.html
Calif. Hearing Targets 'Alcopop'
Marketing
Flavored alcoholic malt beverages -- a.k.a. 'alcopops' --
appeal to children and often are packaged to closely
resemble soda, witnesses told a California Senate panel.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2006/calif-hearing-targets.html
Study Says Youth Who Own
Alcohol-Branded Items More Likely to Drink
March 21, 2006 - A study of 2,000 middle-school students
concluded that adolescents who owned alcohol-branded
t-shirts and other items were more likely to drink than
those who didn't own such merchandise, UPI reported March
20.
Dartmouth Medical School researchers said the study was
the first to examine the relationship between alcohol
merchandise and drinking. "Our research found that students
who owned an alcohol-branded item were significantly more
likely to have initiated alcohol use than students who did
not own one," said lead researcher Dr. Auden McClure. "We
recommend that parents discourage their children from
wearing these products and that schools limit the display of
alcohol-branded items among students."
The study, which involved students ages 10 to 14, was
published in the April 2006 issue of the American Journal
of Preventive Medicine.
Source: McClure, A. C., Dal Cin, S.,
Gibson, J., and Sargent, J. D. (2006) Ownership of
Alcohol-Branded Merchandise and Initiation of Teen Drinking.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 30(4): 277-283.
www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2006/study-says-youth-who-own.html
Lowering the Drinking Age in New
Zealand Increases Car Crashes Among Youth
According to a study based on data from New Zealand,
lowering the drinking age increases car crashes among youth.
The drinking age was lowered from 20 to 18 in 1999. The
study found that the rate of traffic crashes and injuries
increased 12% for 18-19 year old males and 14% among 15-17
year old males comparing the four years before and after the
New Zealand legislature lowered the drinking age to 18. For
females, rates rose 51% for 18-19 year olds and 24% for
15-17 year olds. The study estimated that 400 serious
injuries and 12 deaths each year among 15-19 year olds could
be prevented if New Zealand raised their minimum legal
drinking age.
There is no traffic safety policy with more evidence for
its effectiveness than minimum legal drinking age laws,
according to Robert B. Voas, one of the study's authors.
Traffic crashes by young drivers were declining in New
Zealand when that country decided to lower its drinking age.
Thereafter, the overall road toll for those drivers rose
dramatically. Most remarkable was the trickle-down effect
that was seen in the 15- to 17-year-olds, Voas said.
Clearly, they're getting alcohol from older friends.
People in the United States who argue for lowering the
drinking age should pay attention. Currently, there are five
U.S. States that have legislation pending to lower their
minimum legal drinking age. The outcomes found in the New
Zealand study are similar to those from the United States
after drinking ages were lowered in many states the early
1970s. A number of studies on the effects of those drinking
age changes showed a substantial increase in traffic crashes
involving young people. Today, all 50 states have a minimum
21 drinking age.
This study was published in the January 2006 edition of
the Journal of American Public Health. The study was
authored by Kypros Kypri, Robert B. Voas, John D. Langley,
Shaun C.R. Stephenson, Dorothy J. Begg, A. Scott Tippetts,
and Gabrielle S. Davie.
Reprinted from the Winter 2006 issue of the
Reporter, the newsletter of the International Council
on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety.
Source: Kypri, K., Voas, R.B., Langley,
J.D., Stephenson, S.C.R., Begg, D.J., Tippets, A.S., &
Davie, G.S. (2006). Minimum Purchasing Age for Alcohol and
Traffic Crash Injuries Among 15- to 19-Year-Olds in New
Zealand. American Journal of Public Health, 96(1), 126-131.
www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2006/lowering-the-drinking-age-in.html
Teens Drink One-Fifth of U.S.
Alcohol
Underage drinkers account for nearly 20 percent of the
alcohol consumed in the United States each year, a study
says.
Attempting to correct botched statistics they released a
year ago, researchers from Columbia University's National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse analyzed three sets
of data from 1999 and said underage drinking amounted to
19.7 percent of alcohol consumed that year, or $22.5
billion. The previous estimate - now discredited - was 25
percent.
''Excessive'' drinking by adults - consumption of more
than two drinks daily - amounted to 30.4 percent, or $34.4
billion, the researchers said. Their definition of excessive
drinking is similar to the government's.
''These analyses show that it is not in the alcohol
industry's financial interest to voluntarily enact
strategies to reduce underage or adult excessive drinking,''
the researchers said.
The Columbia center is an advocacy group led by Joseph
Califano Jr., a former U.S. secretary of health, education
and welfare who has been an outspoken critic of alcohol
marketers.
The group issued a report last year saying that young
people ages 12 through 20 consume 25 percent of the nation's
alcohol, a figure based on the 1998 National Household
Survey of Drug Abuse. Critics questioned the statistics, and
Califano's group acknowledged it failed to adjust its
figures to reflect teens' percentage of the nation's
population.
The new analysis appears in Wednesday's Journal of the
American Medical Association.
It included data from the 1999 version of the household
survey, which involved more than 50,000 people aged 12 and
older questioned at home. It also included data from two
surveys of youngsters 12 and older who were questioned at
school.
Representatives of the alcohol industry called the new
study as faulty as the old one, and questioned the
researchers' definition of excessive adult drinking.
The government agency that conducts the household survey,
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, has estimated the percentage of alcohol
consumed by youngsters at 11.4 percent.
Califano's figure is higher because he based it on
different sources, and his research seems sound, said
Charles Curie, administrator of the agency.
''I give them credit that they wanted to clarify the
figures,'' Curie said.
Source: Lindsey Tanner
Snippets
- Despite what you may have heard, less than 30% of
12-20 year olds report drinking. (SAMHSA, 2004 )
- You may be alive today because the legal drinking age
is 21. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) estimates these laws have saved over 22,000 lives
from 1975 to now. (NHTSA, 2004)
- Females process alcohol differently than males;
smaller amounts of alcohol are more intoxicating for
females regardless of their size. (NHTSA, 2004)
- The same amount of alcohol is in a 12-ounce bottle of
beer, a 12-ounce wine cooler, and a 5-ounce glass of
wine.
- Over a quarter of all rape victims and over 40
percent of those convicted of rape had been drinking at
the time of the attack. (BJS, 1998 )
- Alcohol in the #1 youth drug problem (SAMHSA, 2003);
it kills more people under 21 than all other illicit
drugs combined. (Grunbaum, 2002)
What is the BuzzFree Prom?
This is MADD’s new high school initiative to
acknowledge the millions of young people who make
responsible choices and encourage others to do the same
during Prom season.
A BuzzFree Prom School Kit includes powerful safety
posters, a compelling 15 minute BuzzFree Prom DVD narrated
by Miss Teen USA, a giant signing banner featuring the MADD
“PROMise to Keep it Safe,” BuzzFree ID Cards,
pledge sheets, even BuzzFree buttons. The BuzzFree
Prom website
encourages prom goers as well as high schools, MADD
chapters, sponsors and parents to purchase kits, download
fundraising guides, safety tips and more. It is easy to
order, and even simpler to implement.
Source: www.madd.org/under21/0,1056,1168,00.html
Sign the MADD "PROMise To Keep It
Safe" pledging to remain alcohol-free on prom night. In
return for your responsible choice, receive a BuzzFree ID to
get great prom discounts and incentives (offers available
vary by market).
Source: www.buzzfreeprom.com/students/students_pledge.html
Ways to Have Fun without
Drinking
- Go to a late-night diner all dressed up and order
fries and a milkshake; it'll hit the spot and you'll get
tons of attention!
- Buy a bunch of one-use cameras, pass them around to
your friends, and set a goal to use every last picture
before the night is through!
- Have a "Cranium" or "Act One" party at someone's
house; don't forget to have lots of sodas, chips, and
dips. You'll be hungry after all that dancing!
- Host a karaoke party at your house, in a friend's
barn, or at a local Elks or Rotary lodge.
- Visit an arcade with your date or with a group, and
challenge each other to a game or two.
- Have a dance-off at the local arcade. Couples against
couples. It's a blast.
- Ask your local YMCA if you can plan an after-prom
basketball tournament. Bring your favorite CDs to play in
the background.
- Go to a late night coffee house and relive the
evening for hours!
- After prom, gather in a friend's house or backyard,
take your shoes off, turn up the music, and really dance!
Don't forget to notify neighbors and police of your
special event, and don't let guests come and go.
Source: www.madd.org/under21/0,1056,1168,00.html
Study Says Youth Who Own
Alcohol-Branded Items More Likely to Drink
A study of 2,000 middle-school students concluded that
adolescents who owned alcohol-branded t-shirts and other
items were more likely to drink than those who didn't own
such merchandise.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2006/study-says-youth-who-own.html
Drunkeness Triples College
Kids' Auto Injury Risk
It also greatly raises risks for falls, sexual abuse, study
finds.
Source: www.healthcentral.com/newsdetail/408/525819.html
Sobering Data On Student DWI
Habits
In the March 4 issue of CMAJ, Dr. Edward Adlaf and
colleagues present data from the 2001 Ontario Student Drug
Use Survey, which indicate that 31.9 percent of 1846 Ontario
students surveyed admitted to being a passenger in a car
driven by a drunk driver in 2001.
Source: Canadian Medical Association
Journal,www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/333/8895/361838.html
Keeping Tabs On Teens May Curb
Alcohol Use And Risks
Adolescents whose parents closely monitor their activities
are less likely to use alcohol or to be in risky situations
involving alcohol, suggests new research published in the
American Journal of Health Behavior.
Source: Center for the Advancement of
Health, www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/333/8895/361561.html
Smoking, Drinking At School May
Be Contagious For Teens
Teens are more likely to share smoking and drinking habits
with their peers when they attend schools with a relatively
large number of students who use tobacco or alcohol,
according to a new study.
Source: Center for the Advancement of
Health, www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/333/8895/361560.html
Alcohol
Memorials
The Partnership has created a new Memorial website,
www.drugfree.org/memorials
to give families and friends a special place to remember
loved ones lost to drugs and alcohol. Our new site (which is
not final and in a testing phase) allows visitors to share
their story along with photos and memories and offers a
reflecting-pool design, easy-to-use forms, and a tool for
friends and family to leave tribute messages. Please tell
others about this new site so we can reach as many kids and
parents as possible.
Teen Marines Allowed to
Drink
Putting aside the nationwide age-21 drinking law, Marine
Corps officials are allowing service members ages 18 and
older to drink alcohol during special occasions at Camp
Pendleton and other Marine facilities.
Putting aside the nationwide age-21 drinking law, Marine
Corps officials are allowing service members ages 18 and
older to drink alcohol during special occasions at Camp
Pendleton and other Marine facilities, the North County
Times reported.
The policy change will allow young Marines to drink
during welcome-home parties after combat deployments and
during the annual Marine Corps birthday celebration, among
other events. The new rules also will allow Marines ages
18-20 to drink alcohol during port calls where the drinking
age is lower than in the U.S. Other branches of the U.S.
armed services already allow soldiers and sailors under age
21 to drink overseas.
Marine officials and the California attorney general
failed to reply to media inquiries about whether the policy
violated Defense Department policy or state alcohol laws. A
1995 DoD policy states that drinking rules should comply
with local state laws.
Individual Marines said that while they appreciated the
rule change, the policy would have little practical effect,
since most young Marines drink, anyway. But opponents and
even some supporters of the policy worried that young
drinkers might get themselves in trouble off base.
"We would hate to see a mother or father lose their child
here on American soil in an alcohol-related crash or injure
somebody else while impaired," said San Diego Mothers
Against Drunk Driving executive director Pat Hodgkin.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2007/teen-marines-allowed-to-drink.html
(Editor's note: The first thing we did when we finished
basic training was go to the bar on base and drink. If we
were old enough to kill, why not be old enough to drink, was
the theory.)
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