Counselors and other health care professionals spend a lot of time trying to determine how best to protect kids from risky behaviors such as teen drug and alcohol abuse. In a recent study, scientists were surprised to learn that school connectedness is an important protective factor.

Of all the protective factors examined, school connectedness was found to be the strongest protector against substance use, school absenteeism, early sexual initiation, violence, and risk of unintentional injury (such as drinking and driving or not wearing seat belts.) -- Source: TheCW-Channel 69 (Atlanta, GA)

School connectedness also ranked second (behind family connectedness) in importance for preventing emotional distress, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts. The study also found that students felt more connected at school when teachers and administrators were attentive and engaged, when they had a positive, stable peer group, and when they felt safe at school.

Labels: prevention, drug use, alcohol, schools

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Use of alcohol, marijuana, and Ecstasy is increasing among teenagers, according to a study by MetLife Foundation and the Partnership for a Drug Free America. However, the good news was there was no significant increase in teen abuse of over-the-counter cough medicines and prescription drugs.

• Researchers interviewed 32 to hundred teenagers in grades nine through 12, and 800 parents in 2009.
  
• 39 percent of the students reported drinking in the past month, an increase of 11 percent the year before.
  
• There was a 67 percent increase in teens using Ecstasy, and a 19 percent increase in teens using marijuana.
  

The results were disappointing, because teen drug and alcohol use had been dropping off consistently in the past 10 years.

Labels: drug use, alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy

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Middle school students who use alcohol are more likely to attempt suicide than non-drinkers, according to a new study from Georgia State University.

• 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.

"The kids who start drinking early probably have problems in other parts of their lives, such as family dysfunction, mental health and anxiety, with family environment being the biggest driver" said Dr. Monica Swahn, associate dean for research in the College of Health and Human Sciences at GSU.

Labels: alcohol, adolescence, preteens, suicide

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Keeping the legal drinking age at twenty-one years old may be a good idea, according to a new set of recommendations from Canada.

• 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 teenagers 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, legal drinking age, canada

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Some teens (and some adults) are under the impression that drinking coffee can help them sober up after they have been drinking. But aTemple University study on rats proves that this is not the case:

• 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.

"The myth about coffee's sobering powers is particularly important to debunk, because the co- use of caffeine and alcohol can actually lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes," said Dr. Gould.

The study appeared in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience.

Labels: alcohol, caffeine, sobriety

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According to an Oct. 19 article by Lauren Zwaans and Ben Harvy of the Australian news website Adelaide Now, alcoholic drinks at many area clubs are so expensive that teenagers are turning to drugs -- and drug dealers are making the most of it:

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.

Club owners told Adelaide Now theyve also noted increases in the use of cocaine and LSD.

Labels: drug use, alcohol, australia

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Attempting to describe the many health and developmental dangers of drinking alcohol to a young person may be an exercise in futility, but a new Canadian study may help to put the risk in terms that are stark enough to capture a teen's attention: Every 15 seconds, someone dies because of alcohol.

This finding was described in a June 27 Examiner.com post by Carl Lowe:

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.

No one statistic will be enough to end the scourge of teen alcohol abuse, but information such as the data collected during the Canadian study may help bolster parents' efforts to keep their kids away from alcohol and other drugs.

Labels: health_problems, alcohol, death

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A new study has found that teens who have strong relationships with their parents are less likely to begin drinking at an early age.

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)

The researchers surveyed 364 teenagers over a two-year period to determine their drinking habits and their relationships with their parents. The study defined "strong relationship" as one in which teenagers felt they could talk to their parents about their problems, and felt their parents respected their feelings.

Failing to engage in open and honest discussions with their children is among the most common mistakes parents make with teens. As the study alluded to above indicates, keeping the lines of communication open can result in a range of intended and unintended benefits.

Labels: prevention, alcohol, parental_involvement, teenagers

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Canadian parents got some good news this week, when a study of nearly 30,000 youth in British Columbia revealed that fewer young people are using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs:

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)

The news wasn't all good, reported Sun writer Pamela Fayerman. "While use of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamines declined, the number of students who said they had ever used other drugs, like prescription pills (15 per cent) and hallucinogens (nine per cent), increased slightly," Fayerman wrote.

Any level of adolescent substance abuse is, of course, cause for concern -- and the Canadian study indicates that much work remains to be done. But the recent news out of Canada will surely be heartening to parents, teachers, and others who are working to keep young people away from alcohol and other drugs.

Labels: alcohol, adolescence, canada, drugs, teenagers

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Can drinking as a teenager raise your tolerance for alcohol as an adult? A study from Baylor University found that premise held true for animals.

Researchers found that rats that had been exposed to moderate levels of alcohol in adolescence had higher tolerances five years later.

Author Dr. Douglas Matthews said, "The body and brain are still developing and this shows that even moderate levels of alcohol can have harmful effects."

The study was published in the journal Alcohol.

Labels: alcohol, underage_drinking, tolerance

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Can drinking as a teenager raise your tolerance for alcohol as an adult? A study from Baylor University found that, in animals at least, the answer to this question is "yes."

Researchers found that rats that had been exposed to moderate levels of alcohol in adolescence had higher tolerances five years later.

Author Dr. Douglas Matthews said, "The body and brain are still developing and this shows that even moderate levels of alcohol can have harmful effects."

The study was published in the journal Alcohol.

Labels: alcohol, adults, tolerance

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The latest trend among college students is mixing energy drinks with alcohol. The caffeine in the energy drinks masks the effects of the alcohol, making a person think he's less drunk than he actually is.

"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."

The new cocktail has become so popular that some companies have begun selling pre-mixed versions.

Labels: alcohol, binge drinking, cocktails

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The holiday season is a festive time. But the family and social gatherings often include alcohol, which is fine for adults but poses a problem for teenagers.

"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."

But numerous studies have shown that the earlier someone begins to drink, the higher the chances that he or she will have alcohol-related problems later in life. Consider keeping alcohol to a minimum at holiday gatherings, and make sure friends and relatives know that they're not to give alcohol to anyone who's underage.

Labels: alcohol, underage_drinking, holidays

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The term "alcoholic" means different things to different people. For example, some individuals can abuse alcohol without becoming dependent (dependency being the traditional threshold for alcoholism). In other cases, opinions vary on what, exactly, indicates dependency. To avoid these inconsistencies, and to ensure standard definitions across the profession, most medical personnel refer to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual.

"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."

The five criteria referenced in the DSM excerpt above include the following:

• 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

Source: Marin Independent Journal

Labels: alcohol, dependency, diagnosis

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April is Alcohol Awareness month - a time when parents are encouraged to begin or continue discussions with their kids about the dangers of underage drinking.

"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."

Organizations like Partnership for a Drug-Free America provide free resources to help parents determine the best way to talk to their kids about alcohol. Knowing a child's friends and their parents is also helpful because it better enables the parent to monitor a child's activities. Source: Pine City Pioneer

Labels: alcohol, awareness, communication

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Officials at the Rock Hill (South Carolina) Keystone Substance Abuse Center say that teenage drinking is getting worse. By "worse" they don't necessarily mean it's becoming more prevalent, but the teens that are drinking a lot more.

"...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."

Many of the drinking games played by teens cause them to ingest five to seven shots in an hour. It takes the body about an hour to break down the alcohol contained in just one shot or can of beer. Source: The Rock Hill Herald

Labels: alcohol_abuse, alcohol, binge_drinking

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Students at Pleasant Valley High School in Jacksonville, Alabama, got to experience firsthand the effects of alcohol. A grant from Westinghouse allowed the school to purchase four sets of "fatal vision goggles" which distort vision and simulate the effects of a 0.08 blood alcohol level.

"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..."

The goggles were part of a Drunk Busters program which was held just a few days before prom. The hope was that students would be deterred from drinking and driving during this year's prom celebration. Source: Jacksonville News

Worried about being liable for your teen's risky behavior behind the wheel? Learn more about Parental Liability for Underage Drivers at DrugRehabTreatment.com.

Labels: alcohol, students, drunk_driving

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The governor of the state of Oregon has named April "Alcohol Awareness Month." The designation comes, in part, in response to statistics from the Oregon Department of Human Services Addictions and Mental Health Division, which states that alcohol is the leading cause of death among the state's young people.

"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."

DHS' Addictions and Mental Health Division prevention manager Rick Cady says April is just a "starting point" for raising awareness and getting people involved in finding solutions. Source: AA-UK.org.

NorthStar Center offers a rehab and recovery program for young adults who have completed full rehab and need a safe, sober environment to help them get back on track. Visit www.northstarcenter.com to learn more about their teen and young adult substance abuse recovery program.

Labels: alcohol, awareness, death

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Alcohol consumption lowers inhibitions and can affect a person's ability to recognize dangerous situations or unhealthy decisions. Studies have shown that 55% of females and 75% of males have been drinking when an alleged date rape occurred.

"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."

Teens need to be alert to dangerous situations and parents, of course, need to be looking out for their kids. Know the people your child goes out with, and when possible, make sure they're not going out alone. Read more at GuamPDN.com.

Labels: alcohol, risky_behaviors, rape

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Adolescents are more likely to drink if their friends do, and their peers may influence their drinking habits even more than their parents do, according to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Danielle Dick and her colleagues studied data from 4700 teenagers in Finland, looking for associations between teen friendships and alcohol use. The researchers found that girls' drinking in particular is linked to the influence of peers. Having friends of the opposite sex correlated with increased drinking for both sexes.

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."

This study appears in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Labels: alcohol, influences, friends

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A new study by Health Canada concludes that parents tolerate drinking older teens but worry if their children start drinking before they are fifteen years old.

"A key transition point" occurs when young people enter high school, according to the authors of the study, which involved focus groups of teens and their parents in Winnipeg, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec and British Columbia.

The Health Canada report indicates that parents of older teens believe drinking is an acceptable part of their children's lives. A small number of parents buy alcohol and host drinking parties in their homes for their teenagers.

A good residential treatment center like SunHawk Academy can help with teen substance abuse.

Labels: alcohol, parents, underage_drinking

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Researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism have identified five distinct subtypes of alcoholism. This study differs from previous attempts at identifying sub-types because it includes people who don't or haven't sought treatment for their alcoholism. It's estimated that only 25% of people with alcoholism ever seek treatment.

"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."

The five subtypes developed by the NIAAA were: young adult, young antisocial, functional, intermediate familial, and chronic severe. Those who fall into the chronic severe subtype are the ones most likely to seek help. Read more at EMaxHealth.com.

Teen alcohol abuse is a serious condition. Research shows "that those who began drinking at an early age were significantly more likely to develop a dependence on alcohol, and the dependence is more likely to be chronic and associated with long-term health issues." Read more at www.drugrehabtreatment.com.

Labels: alcohol_abuse, alcohol, treatment

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Researchers at the University of California San Francisco have found that smoking cigarettes during the first six to nine months of recovery may interfere with an alcoholic's overall success.

"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."

The mortality rate for cigarette smoking is also four times that of the mortality rate relate to alcohol-induced diseases. Read more at EarthTimes.org.

Recovery is a life-long process and requires commitment, introspection, and most importantly, courage. Learn more about Recovery Support at www.drugrehabtreatment.com.

Labels: smoking, alcohol, recovery

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Sixth and seventh graders who view high numbers of advertisements for alcoholic beverages are 50% more likely to drink and 36% more likely to decide to drink than peers who do not view such materials.

Liquor and beer advertisements appear on television, radio and the Internet, in magazines and in-store promotions, and as promotional items like t-shirts and posters. The study by the Rand Corporation concluded that adolescents see about 250 television ads every year, and that even fourth graders are familiar with brand names and slogans.

This study appears in the June 2007 Journal of Adolescent Health.

Dealing with teen drug abuse or teen drug addiction? Find a teen drug rehab at DrugRehabTreatment.com.

Labels: alcohol, media_influences, advertising

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A small study indicates that alcohol may damage the brains of women more extensively than male brains.

Researchers tested 24 female alcoholics, 78 male alcoholics and 68 non-users of both sexes. The non-alcoholics scored the best on tests of working memory, visuospatial skills, and psychomotor speed. However, female alcoholics performed significantly worse than the males, even in instances when they had consumed less alcohol over shorter lengths of time.

Barbara Flannery, a senior scientist at the RTI International research institute in Baltimore, said she believes that there should be "gender-sensitive public awareness programs" about alcoholism.

Other studies have proven that the higher percentage of body fat in females makes alcohol more toxic for them. There is also evidence that adolescent girls who drink incur damage not only to their developing brains but also to their reproductive systems.

This study appears in the May issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Adolescent girls suffering from teen drug abuse and addiction can get help from a licensed residential drug treatment program like the one at SunHawk Academy. Learn more about SunHawks adolescent residential treatment center >>

Labels: alcohol, brain_damage, brain_chemistry

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When you talk about teen substance abuse, most people think of marijuana, cocaine, or even heroine. But alcohol is as common among teens as any other drug - maybe more - but it's often overlooked. Some don't think that underage drinking is a "big deal".

"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."

Surprisingly, some parents allow their children to drink at home, thinking it's safer to offer them a controlled environment where they can teach their kids to drink responsibly. Unfortunately, this approach more often increases the likelihood of dangerous behavior. Read more online.

Labels: alcohol, parents, underage_drinking

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Most teenagers get their first alcoholic drink from their mother or father, according to a new study by the University of Florida and the University of Minnesota.

Researchers surveyed 4000 children ages 12 to 14 years old in Chicago between the years 2002 and 2005. About 17% of the 12-year-olds had consumed a full glass of alcoholic beverage within the past year  and a third reported that their parents had given them their drinks.

Author Kelli Komro said that the researchers suspected that teens first discover beer or hard liquor with friends, but that assumption proved false.

"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.

This study appears in the April issue of Preventive Medicine.

If you, your teen, or someone you know is struggling with teen alcohol or drug abuse, there are lots of great resources online. Learn about teen alcohol drug abuse at drugrehabtreatment.com and ways for parents to help their teen with drug and alcohol abuse at byparents-forparents.com.

Labels: teenage_drinking, alcohol, parents

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New York District Attorney Janet DiFiore is joining substance abuse experts and others in a presentation intended to expose the dangers of private teen drinking parties. The event is the first in a campaign that will run through graduation season and is hosted by Responsible Action: A Drug and Alcohol Resource (RADAR).

"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 doesnt mean our parenting days are over,' said Janet Buchbinder..."

The presentation will address more than just the legal ramifications of teenage drinking parties, but also the longer-term effects that can follow a teen into adulthood. Read more at TheJournalNews.com.

Labels: alcohol, binge drinking, teenagers

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Anheuser-Bush has recently released an energy drink called Spykes. The main difference between this and other energy drinks is that this one is an alcoholic beverage. Some consumer and parenting groups are accusing the company of intentionally marketing the product to 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."

Underage drinking accounts for over $20 billion in alcohol sales each year. And though Anheuser-Bush has released a statement claiming Spykes is intended for adults, researchers are doubtful and are calling both the drink and its marketing campaign "highly irresponsible". Read more at ABCNews.com.

Labels: alcohol, teenagers, marketing

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The teenager that once openly shared the details of his life, now takes to locking his bedroom door. He begins sleeping in late and goes about the house with a glazed look. There are suddenly new friends on the scene but you don't know their names or their numbers. Read more online.

Labels: alcohol, prescription drugs, legal drugs

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Trend watchers say 40 is the new 30. At Flatbread Co. in Portland, make that the new 21. Restaurant patrons who look under 40 are carded when they order drinks, even if they've been old enough to buy beer for decades. The national obsession with youth is making it harder to tell how old someone is, say the restaurant's owners. And they would rather be wrong about someone's age than be sorry. Read more online.

Labels: alcohol, id, carding

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Former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Joseph A. Califano has released a new book titled High Society. In it, he states that fundamental changes need to occur in the ways that we think about and deal with substance abuse and addiction.

"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."

He also believes that parents must realize how much influence they can really have over their children's decisions regarding drugs and alcohol. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University estimates that alcohol use, abuse and addiction cost $313 million annually, and that doesn't include any illegal drugs. Read more at TheAdvertiser.com.

Labels: alcohol, legal drugs, cost_of_addiction

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Millions of underage children are using alcoholic beverages, according to United States Surgeon General Kenneth Moitsugu. Nearly 7.2 million children are considered binge drinkers, meaning they drink more than five drinks in one sitting.

In a press release dated March 6, 2007, Moitsugu calls for "a change in the culture and attitudes toward drinking in America. We can no longer ignore what alcohol is doing to our children." While there has been a drop in the use of illegal drugs and tobacco among America's youth, underage drinking is still a problem, partly because adults tolerate it.

Moitsugu said that new research shows that alcohol is harmful to adolescent brain development. In addition, those who start drinking before age 15 years are five times more likely to have alcohol-related problems as adults.

Labels: alcohol, underage drinking, binge drinking

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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has designated April as Alcohol Awareness Month. The purpose is to not only raise awareness, but give people an opportunity to be tested for signs of alcoholism.

"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."

More than 203,000 people participated last year at over 5,400 screening sites nationwide. Read more online.

Labels: alcohol, awareness, drug testing

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The Baltimore Sun reported on a new study in Pediatrics that shows teenagers who drink often do so solely to get drunk. Of the 15,000 teens surveyed, 64% admitted to regular binging.

"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."

This study shows an increase in binge drinking among high school and college students. Read more from the BaltimoreSun.com.

Labels: alcohol, binge drinking, teenagers

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Kentucky Senators have introduced a bill that they are hoping will cause teens to think twice about consuming alcohol. Under the bill, anyone under 21 who's found in possession of alcohol could have their drivers license suspended for three months.

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

Though some skeptics doubt whether the threat of losing a license will deter teens from drinking, many feel that its better than nothing. Read more at Courier-Journal.com.

Labels: prevention, alcohol, teenagers

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A recent study in Australia revealed that many of the high school students who tried alcohol got it from their parents. Of the students who said they had recently consumed alcohol, 37 percent said their parents provided the drink.

"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."

Some proponents say it's good to introduce alcohol to kids early, to reduce or remove the stigma of drinking - as is done in many European countries. But Dr. Hutchinson warns that the positive effects are largely overstated, and many of those countries have higher rates of alcohol abuse that we realize. Read more at ABC.net.au.

Labels: alcohol, parents, teenagers

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New animal studies found that stopping even moderate drinking can lead to depression and a reduced capacity of the brain to produce neurons.  However, antidepressant drugs can correct both situations.

Researchers at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at the University of North Carolina found that withdrawal from alcohol produced deep depressive symptoms in mice, which could be related to a significant drop in the number of new neural stem cells in their brains.

"This research provides the first evidence that long-term abstinence from moderate alcohol drinking -rather than drinking per se- leads to a negative mood state," said Dr. Clyde Hodge, lead author of the study.

Dr. Hodge and his colleagues found that if they administered antidepressant drugs to the animals, they showed no sign of depression and restored their capacity to produce new neural cells.

This study appeared in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
 

Labels: alcohol, depression

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Parents of teenagers often approach prom season with a combination of excitement and worry. They’re excited for their kids to have fun, and participate in one of the quintessential markers of adolescence. But they’re worried about some of the activities associated with prom night – especially teen drug and alcohol abuse.

“As prom season approaches, there are many things that parents can do to strengthen their child’s ability to make sound choices, according to Family & Youth Options… Get involved in the initial planning stages and focus on decision making: determine who, what, when and where for each portion of the evening and let your teen know you expect to be included in plan changes and updates.” [Source: Wilton (CT) Bulletin]

As you’re planning, make sure the night doesn’t just consist of the activities you want for your teen; let him express his ideas and have enough autonomy to make some of the choices. Be prepared for your teen to test boundaries. Don’t overreact. Instead, give your child the opportunity to explain his decision and his process for making that decision.

 

Labels: prom, drug use, alcohol

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There is yet another reason for parents to be on the lookout for teen alcohol use and other dangerous behaviors. Migraine headaches are more common among teenagers who drink coffee or alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or do not get much exercise, according to a new study from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Germany.

• Astrid Milde-Busch surveyed 1260 students ages 14 to 20 years old about headaches.
• Over 80 percent had experienced a headache within the past six months, but they were more common among those who drink coffee or alcohol, smoke cigarettes and/or do not exercise.
• About 5 15 percent of high school students have migraines, and 15 to 25 percent have tension headaches.
• Skipping meals was not associated with headaches.

"Our study confirms that adolescents with any type of headache might benefit from regular physical activity and low consumption of alcoholic drinks," Dr. Milde-Busch says. "In teens suffering from migraine, low coffee consumption should also be suggested."

The study appeared in the journal Headache.
 

Labels: tobacco use, health_problems, alcohol, caffeine

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Authorities in Massachusetts are cracking down on parents who serve alcohol to teenagers in their homes.

Police in that state are arresting parents under a law called "the Social Host Law," which says that an adult who owns or controls property where teenagers are drinking can be charged with a crime, even if he or she does not provide the alcohol directly to the underage children.

"The notion that providing alcohol at home creates a safe drinking environment is not true," said Ralph Hingson, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research. "It behooves parents to try to do everything they can to delay the onset of drinking for young people."

According to statistics from that Institute, 5,000 people under age 21-years old die every year from alcohol-related problems, including 1,900 in automobile accidents.

Hingson noted that many studies show that the earlier a teen starts drinking, the more likely it is that he or she will develop a dependency on alcohol.
 

Labels: alcohol, parental_involvement, laws

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

Teenagers and young adults give similar reasons why they want to quit problem drinking, according to new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

• Researchers compared people who wanted to quit drinking at ages 13 to 17 years old to those ages 18 to 25 years old. The most common reason to quit was the same among both groups.
• "To show yourself you can quit if you want to" was cited by 74% of young adults and 79% of the teenagers.
• "To save money" was the second most common reason, given by 70% of the young adults and 65% of the teenagers.
• "Future health consequences" was a concern of 49% of teenagers and 51% of young adults.

Teenagers were more likely to cite pressure from family and family troubles, probably because they were more likely to live at home. Young adults tended to worry more what their peer groups felt about their drinking.

However, authors Douglas Smith, Leah Cleeland and Michael Dennis wrote that "we found no significant differences on overall reasons for quitting between emerging adults and adolescents, with the exception of the interpersonal motivation items, few differences existed at the item level when controlling for baseline differences among age cohorts."
 

Labels: alcohol, recovery

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 0 Comments

More bad news for teens who abuse alcohol: If they continue their bad habits into adulthood, they will put their brains at continued risk. Drinking heavily throughout adulthood leads to a decrease in brain volume, according to a study from Wellesley College.

• Dr. Carol Ann Paul used data from 1,839 people ages 34 to 88 years old enrolled in the Framingham Offspring Study.
• The study subjects were classified as non-drinkers, former drinkers, and low drinkers.
• Those who had more than 14 drinks a week showed a 1.6 percent decrease in brain volume on MRI scans compared to those who didn't drink.
• Women lost more brain volume than men, particularly women in their 70s.
• Those who had a 12-year history of heavy drinking had less brain volume than those who moved into the high drinking category within the past 12 years.

The Framingham study has been ongoing since 1948 among residents of the town of Framingham, Massachusetts. Researchers in this study usually focus on heart disease.

Labels: health_problems, alcohol, brain_chemistry

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 0 Comments

Being religious could help teenagers resist alcohol, even if they have a genetic predisposition toward alcoholism, according to a new study from the University of Colorado. However, this effect does not carry over into young adulthood.

Dr. Tanya Button studied 1432 pairs of identical and fraternal twins when they were adolescents and young adults, measuring their religiosity and problem alcohol abuse.

"Our study showed that genetic factors could influence problem alcohol use more in nonreligious adolescents than adolescents with a greater religious outlook," said Dr. Button. "This attenuation in religious participants indicates that religiosity exerted a strong enough influence over the behavior of religious individuals to override any genetic predisposition. The same was not true for young adults, however, for whom the genetic influence was consistent across levels of religiosity."

The study appeared in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
 

Labels: prevention, alcohol_abuse, alcohol, religion

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment

Young people who experiment with alcohol are more likely to get into other risky behaviors, such as smoking, abusing drugs and shoplifting according to new study from Great Britain.

Researchers from the National Center for Social Research studied 15,000 British teenagers and found that 55 percent had tried alcohol before age 14 years old, and 85 percent by 17 years old. Girls were more likely to experiment with alcohol than boys. White, nonreligious, and affluent teenagers were more likely to drink than children from low income homes.
 

Labels: drug use, alcohol, behaviors

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 0 Comments

A person is twice as likely to have a stroke within the first hour of drinking alcohol, according to a new study from Harvard University.

The research team studied 390 stroke patients and found that the risk of stroke increased 2.3 times after alcohol consumption. This is probably related to the way that blood pressure rises and blood platelets become stickier after drinking alcohol.

This study was published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
 

Labels: health_problems, alcohol

Posted By: CRC Health Group 0 Comments

Teenagers often show up in emergency rooms of hospitals after drinking and getting injured in fights. Now a new study found that having these teens talk to a therapist for 30 minutes will reduce their chances participating in future physical violence by 70%.

"The leading cause of death for adolescents who reside in inner-city settings is violence and other injuries," said Maureen Walton, lead author of the study. "These adolescents are ... not likely to have a primary care physician, and the emergency room is a popular place for a variety of reasons. We decided this would be a good setting for prevention."

• Dr. Walton and her colleagues divided more than 700 teens (ages 14 to 18) who had visited an emergency in Flint, Michigan, into three groups.
• One group got a 30-minute talk with a therapist.
• The second group sat through a computer presentation.
• The third group received a brochure with referrals to community resources.

Six months later, those who talked to therapists showed a greater reduction in alcohol consequences compared to the other groups.

The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
 

Labels: alcohol, violence, therapy

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 1 Comment