• Researchers looked at the results of a survey of more than 150,000 students in the sixth, eighth, 10th, and 12th grades about their drug and alcohol use.
  
• About 15 percent said they started drinking before they were 13 years old.
  
• The group that started drinking before age 13 was at higher risk for suicide.

Labels: adolescence, alcohol, preteens, suicide

• Hubert Sacy, director general of the research team Educ'alcool, said that adolescents should not have access to alcohol because their brains are still developing.
  
• Adolescents and teens who drink alcohol are more likely to abuse the drug and put themselves in risky situations.
  
• Alcohol can adversely affect the development of a teenager’s organs, muscles and reproductive system, and can also negatively affect hormonal levels.
  
• In the new report, Stacy noted that people who start drinking in middle school are more likely to have problems with delinquency, emotional control and alcohol dependence by the time they are in their mid-twenties.

Labels: alcohol, canada, legal drinking age

• Professor Thomas Gould and his colleagues gave mice doses of alcohol and caffeine and then had them navigate a maze.
  
• The mice that got only alcohol failed the maze test, as did the mice who consumed both alcohol and caffeine.
  
• Under the influence of both chemicals, the mice appeared alert, but they were incompetent at avoiding stimuli in mazes.

Labels: alcohol, caffeine, sobriety

Cheap illegal drugs bought at a fraction of the cost of nightclub alcohol are luring teenage partygoers into the dangers of substance abuse, experts warn. ...

Some clubs are charging premium admission prices to compensate for lost alcohol sales. ...

Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia director of drug monitoring Jason White said the exploitation by dealers of the gap between the price of alcohol and illegal drugs was concerning. "The relative cost of alcohol at some venues compared to the cost of an ecstasy tablet means that some people regard ecstasy as a better way to spend their money," he said.

Labels: alcohol, australia, drug use

A few sips of wine may be good for your heart, but alcohol-related disease and accidents take a life every 15 seconds according to research from the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Researchers found that disorders linked to drinking wine, beer, whiskey, mixed drinks, etc are among the most disabling diseases in the world. The problems are especially problematic for men although women have been drinking more during the past decade.

Unlike other diseases, the risks linked to drinking frequently kill young people.

Labels: alcohol, death, health_problems

The findings, published in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, underscore the important role parents play in the risk of problem drinking. Past studies have suggested that the age at which kids start drinking is a key factor in whether they eventually develop alcohol-related problems, like getting into fights or having academic or work problems. (Source: Science Blog)

Labels: alcohol, parental_involvement, prevention, teenagers

Twenty-nine percent of 13-year-olds said they have drunk alcohol, down from 34 percent five years earlier. For 15-year-olds, 58 percent said they had drunk alcohol, down from 65 percent in 2003. ...

"With all the negative stereotyping we see and hear about young people in our province, it is encouraging to note that smoking, alcohol use and marijuana use have all declined since the last survey in 2003," Annie Smith, executive director of the [McCreary Centre Society, which conducted the study] after the report was released.

The survey indicates that the typical age when kids first try marijuana is 13 and 14, but the overall number of youth who have tried marijuana shrank from 37 percent in 2003 to 30 percent in 2008. (Source: The Vancouver Sun)

Labels: adolescence, alcohol, canada, drugs, teenagers

Labels: alcohol, tolerance, underage_drinking

Labels: adults, alcohol, tolerance

"The criteria for [alcohol dependence] reflect that the patient is physiologically dependent upon alcohol, and would suffer alcohol withdrawal symptoms when he stops drinking. To be diagnosed with Alcohol Dependence, one must meet three [out of five] criteria."

• Alcohol withdrawal symptoms
• Alcohol tolerance
• Alcohol taken in larger amounts over a longer period than intended
• Persistent desire or unsuccessful effort to cut down on alcohol consumption
• Increased time spent attempting to obtain alcohol

Labels: alcohol, dependency, diagnosis

"...many underage drinkers no longer simply drink to get high but instead drink to induce oblivion. This binge-style often revolves around drinking games in which drinkers ingest large amounts of alcohol quickly, sometimes to the point where they suffer alcohol poisoning and have to be rushed to the hospital."

Labels: alcohol, alcohol_abuse, binge_drinking

"Students walked the green line of tape, were asked to stand on one foot for 30 seconds, find a nickel among a group of coins on the floor and then, the most difficult part, to pick it up... Most students were amazed by how distorted their vision was..."

Labels: alcohol, drunk_driving, students

"As noted in the proclamation, alcohol contributes to adolescent motor vehicle crashes, traumatic injuries, poor school performance, and health and safety problems. Research shows that the younger individuals are when they start to drink, the more likely they are to become alcoholic."

Labels: alcohol, awareness, death

"Parents can play a powerful role in influencing their children's attitudes. Parents' drinking behaviors and favorable attitudes about drinking are associated with adolescents' initiating and continuing drinking. Research indicates that children are less likely to drink when their parents are engaged in their lives and when they and their parents report feeling close to each other."

Labels: alcohol, awareness, communication

"A fact that often goes unnoticed is people are more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted by people they know versus the hooded stranger standing in the corner. Date rape may happen to you, your loved ones or friends."

Labels: alcohol, rape, risky_behaviors

Parents should be aware of their children's friends, Dr. Dick advised. "This awareness is particularly important for girls, and when the friendship group consists of members of the opposite sex."

Labels: alcohol, friends, influences

"Teenagers or younger children may view these parties as opportunities to sneak alcohol, spike their soda when nobody is looking, or convince a relative to assist them in getting an alcoholic beverage. Some parents, feeling it is part of the holiday spirit, may be more inclined to let their teenagers have an alcoholic drink to share in a family toast."

Labels: alcohol, holidays, underage_drinking

"The research, by investigators at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, found students who mix energy drinks with alcohol were twice as likely to be injured during a bout of drinking, to need medical attention or to ride with a driver who was drunk. They were also twice as likely to take advantage of someone sexually and nearly twice as likely to be taken advantage of sexually by someone else."

Labels: alcohol, binge drinking, cocktails

Labels: alcohol, parents, underage_drinking

"We find that young adults comprise the largest group of alcoholics in this country, and nearly 20 percent of alcoholics are highly functional and well-educated with good incomes. More than half of the alcoholics in the United States have no multigenerational family history of the disease, suggesting that their form of alcoholism was unlikely to have genetic causes."

Labels: alcohol, alcohol_abuse, treatment

"Corresponding study author Timothy C. Durazzo, of the University of California San Francisco, says non-smoking alcoholics showed a significantly greater level of recovery than smoking alcoholics in the areas of mental efficiency; higher-level reasoning and problem-solving; visual-spatial processing skills and working on short-term memory."

Labels: alcohol, recovery, smoking

Labels: advertising, alcohol, media_influences

Labels: alcohol, brain_chemistry, brain_damage

"Alcohol is a leading contributor to traffic fatalities, homicides, suicides, and all other accidents among people ages 15-24... Recent research tells us that alcohol consumption by young people damages the developing brain and contributes to the onset of adult drinking problems."

Labels: alcohol, parents, underage_drinking

"It's important to educate parents about the consequences of the early onset of drinking, and to prevent them from being a source of alcohol for their children," she said.

Labels: alcohol, parents, teenage_drinking

"We're trying to make parents more aware of their legal responsibilities. Mostly, it's about the need to supervise their children. Just because they are teenagers doesn’t mean our parenting days are over,' said Janet Buchbinder..."

Labels: alcohol, binge drinking, teenagers

"Spykes... has roughly the same alcohol content as wine and comes in such flavors as Spicy Mango and Hot Melons. But it is the energy-drink appeal and the marketing that is nearly exclusively present on the Internet that has some researchers worried."

Labels: alcohol, marketing, teenagers

"The problem can be addressed only by a revolution in the nation's criminal justice, medical, educational and social service systems, as well as foreign-policy priorities, Califano says."

Labels: alcohol, cost_of_addiction, legal drugs

Labels: alcohol, binge drinking, underage drinking

"To recognize the serious problem of alcohol abuse... April 8 marks the annual observance of National Alcohol Screening Day. At locations across the United States, people can be screened – anonymously – to see if their drinking habits may be risky."

Labels: alcohol, awareness, drug testing

Labels: alcohol, carding, id

Labels: alcohol, legal drugs, prescription drugs

"Dr. Delyse Hutchinson, from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, says the figures are a concern, because research shows those who drink early are more likely to develop problems with alcohol later in life."

Labels: alcohol, parents, teenagers

"Last year, nearly 1,900 minors statewide were found guilty of possessing alcohol, or paid fines after being issued citations..."

Labels: alcohol, prevention, teenagers

"Those rates are 'unacceptably high,' said Susan Foster, director of policy at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. 'We're seeing an increase in rates of drinking to get drunk, and we're seeing that most who drink in college began drinking in high school or younger. The more they drink, the greater the likelihood they'll become addicted,' said Foster."

Labels: alcohol, binge drinking, teenagers