A University of Pittsburgh professor is recommending that children and teenagers have different standards for binge drinking behaviors and blood alcohol assessments than adults do.

"The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA] definition of binge drinking was developed for adults and not for kids under 18," Professor John Donovan wrote in the journal Pediatrics. "Children and young adolescents weigh substantially less than adults and would likely achieve higher blood alcohol concentration levels ... with significantly fewer drinks."

The NIAAA defines binge drinking as a pattern that brings a person's blood alcohol levels to greater than 0.08 grams per deciliter. At that level, a person is usually legally drunk and exhibits mental and physical impairments. The NIAAA standard is five drinks for a man and four drinks for a woman.

Dr. Donovan examined records of body compositions and alcohol elimination rates for children, adults and adolescents. He believes standards should be adjusted to the following levels:

• Ages nine to 13: Three or more drinks for children ages nine to 13.
• Four or more drinks for boys and three or more for girls ages 14 or 15.
• Five or more drinks for boys and three or more for girls ages 16 and 17.

Dr. Donovan would also believes that the definition of a "heavy drinker" should be re-defined for young people.

"When kids and young teens use alcohol, it puts them at heightened risk for later alcohol and drug dependency, delinquency, early pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as involvement in motor crashes," he wrote.

Labels: teenage_drinking

Posted By: Aspen/CRC