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

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Teenagers suffering from "caffeine intoxication" are increasingly calling poison control centers or going to hospital emergency rooms. They complain to ER doctors that they have heart palpitations, nausea and headaches.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that more than half of caffeine-related calls to poison control centers came from those under 19 years old. They speculate that the popularity of energy drinks, which can contain three times the caffeine in coffee, may be linked to the problem.

Labels: caffeine, energy_drinks, intoxication

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

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

Posted By: Adolescent Substance Abuse 1 Comment