Winter Maladies: Natural Approaches
June Russell's Health Facts
Alcohol - Teens
[Learned Behavior]
[Traffic Alcohol Deaths]
[Driving Behavior]
[CSPI Reports]
[Unprotected Sex]
[Date Rape]
[Middle & High School]
[College]
[Bone Mass]
[Health Risks]
Drinking as a Learned Behavior
According to the U.S. Department of Health National Household Survey on Drug Abuse in 1998, about 10.4 million drinkers were between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Of these, 5.1 million were binge drinkers, including 2.3 million heavy drinkers.
The survey also showed that most young people were nondrinkers and most remained abstainers when they entered college. Colleges, healthcare and law enforcement officials are attempting with their public awareness campaigns to send a message to young people that says "most" of their peers do not consider getting drunk as appropriate behavior.
Many children and young people get the message that "everybody does it" from their parents. Children learn their attitudes about drinking alcohol from those around them, especially from parents or other adults, and also their peers. If children see a parent come home from work and immediately grab an alcoholic drink and hear them say, "I need a drink after my day today!" chances are that they will see alcohol as a way to deal with stress, as well as other emotions. It sends a message that alcohol can relieve problems of depression, anxiety, and even fear, and the child may someday say, "Boy, I need a drink after that test!"
When the parents' mood changes when they drink or if the parent drinks to "loosen up" and have a good time, the child is probably likely to conclude that alcohol is a quick and easy way to adjust their moods. If the parent is drinking at a family gathering or party, and still gets in a car to drive, the message is that the law can be ignored and risk-taking is okay. However, if the children grow up in homes where no alcohol is consumed and they are taught that drinking alcohol is not appropriate behavior, then it is likely that they will remain non-drinkers. Research indicates that this is especially true if children have developed an active spiritual life. Although abstaining parents are not a guarantee that children will also not drink, the message the child receives is that drinking is not necessary to have a good time.
{"How Will Your Child Drink?" Alcoholism.about.com - Feb. 2002}
Alcohol-related Traffic Deaths
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), America experienced the largest percentage increase in alcohol-related traffic deaths on record last year.
Millie Webb, MADD's national president, says that as a victim advocate, MADD has gotten the message out about drinking and driving but not really dealt with increased risks for the intoxicated passengers. She has seen families who have lost loved ones who were passengers in drunken driving crashes, and has advised not getting in a car with others who have been drinking. In the November issue of Archives of Surgery, a study of crash victims who were admitted to the New Mexico Trauma Center in 1993, showed that intoxicated passengers are at high risk after crashes, and it brings to light that passengers who are intoxicated themselves cannot discern whether the others (driver) have been drinking. That's what alcohol does. Intoxicated passengers injured in car crashes are up to 2.5 times more likely to land in the hospital again within 5 years when compared to non-intoxicated passengers. Whether you are a driver or passenger, if you have been drinking, walk or take a cab, your problems won't go away just because you were not the one behind the wheel.
{"Drinking and being Driven Don't Mix: Intoxicated passengers at high risk after crashes," HealthScout news Reporter, Neil Sherman, MedREVIEW.subportal.com - Feb. 2002}
Teen Driving Behavior and Recommendations for Improvement
Excerpts from "Steering Teens Toward Safe Driving Habits," Washington Post Health, Sep. 10, 2002:
The biggest killer of 15 to 20-year-olds is motor vehicle crashes, causing about a third of the deaths for that age group. Though they make up only about 7% of the U.S. driving population and drive fewer miles on average than older drivers, 15 to 20-year-olds are involved in 14% of the fatal crashes according to the Department of Transportation's National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA). Two out of three teens killed in crashes are boys. (Arlington-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). "Boys have a lot of testosterone and a penchant for risk-taking," says IIHS spokesman Russ Rader.
According to IIHS statistics, fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers occur more frequently when other teens are in the car, and the risk grows with each additional passenger. NHTSA notes that two out of three teenagers who die as passengers are being driven by other teenagers. While the most severe teen crashes occur after 11 p.m., the number of accidents peaks between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. and again from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., when they are driving to and from school or to jobs, and then again from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
{DC-based National Transportation Safety Board}As inexperienced drivers, teens have a tougher time switching lanes, recovering from an initial driving error or merging onto a crowded highway.
Teens play music loudly and get distracted by their friends in the back seat.
Teens wear their safety belts less frequently than do adults.
Teens are vulnerable to advertising. In ads, cars are portrayed as having great speed and power and fantastic maneuverability. Only in fine print or at the bottom of the screen is it mentioned that a professional driver is using a closed driving course.
Driver education classes are often inadequate, and commercial driving schools vary widely in quality. Many drivers of all ages violate traffic laws, thereby increasing the risks to inexperienced drivers.
What is a concerned parent to do? One option is to wait until your child is 17 to enroll him/her in drivers education. Sixteen-year-olds are 12 times as likely as older drivers to die in a crash as a single occupant. New Jersey withholds driver licenses until age 17, as do most European countries.
Some additional suggestions:
- Be a role model and practice safe, courteous driving behavior. Try to eliminate any bad driving habits you have. "If kids see parents speeding and weaving in and out of lanes, then that is what they will learn," says Phil Berardelli, author of "Safe Young Drivers: A Guide for Parents and Teens" (2000).
- "Your credibility declines if you say don't talk on the cell phone and then you do it," says Paula Bender, a Nevada psychologist and author of "How to Keep Your Teenager From Driving You Crazy." Begin talking to your teen about driving issues a year before he or she gets a learner's permit; such as why the family has certain rules, why people resort to road rage, etc. Don't provide a fancy vehicle to your teen. SUV's don't handle emergency maneuvers well. Control your child's access to horsepower.
- Accept that teens will make driving mistakes, so don't get overly emotional over transgressions such as speeding tickets by threatening to never let them drive again. Aim for constructive criticism. Consider signing a driving contract with your teen, one that lays out rules and the consequences for breaking them.
Reports from the Center for Science in the Public Interest
We have an epidemic of under-age drinking in this country, says George Hacker, of the Alcohol Policies Project of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) discourages the use of illicit drugs by young people in this country, but avoids seriously addressing the under-age drinking, which represents, by far, a much greater risk to young people than all the illicit drugs combined.
Young people who drink early, significantly increase their chances of becoming alcohol dependent as adults. According to the NIAAA, teens who start drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to become alcohol dependent than those who wait until they are 21. Few wait until they are of legal age. Experts estimate that 10% of all beer sold in the U.S. is downed by under-age consumers, a market that is worth more than $5 billion a year.
According to NIAAA, studies document that beer advertising has been linked to greater intentions to drink, favorable beliefs about beer, and a greater likelihood of drinking. The alcohol industry is saturating the media with appealing messages that link their products with good times, belonging, popularity and athletic prowess. They only give vague advice about ‘responsibility’ and ‘moderation.’
{Booze News, Center for Science in the Public Interest - 2001}
General Barry McCaffrey, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, noted that “the biggest problem we've got among adolescents is binge drinking and wine coolers.” According to a 2000 survey, alcohol continues to be the most widely abused drug among adolescents in the United States:
{Center for Science in the Public Interest -www.spinet.org/booze - Dec. 2000}
Alcohol Use
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
Any use
51.7%
71.4%
80.3%
Been drunk
25.1%
49.3%
62.3%
Unprotected Sex and Alcohol/Drug Use
Alcohol impairs judgment. Sexual arousal by itself impairs judgment, then add alcohol, traditional foreplay, and your judgment is almost out the window. You don't think when you use alcohol.
{Dr. Teresa Crenshaw, sex therapist, head of the Crenshaw Clinic for treating sexual dysfunction. On People’s Pharmacy, with Joe and Terry Graedon, Public Radio, Jan. 1997}
Almost one in four U.S. teens and young adults who were sexually active reported having unprotected sex while using alcohol or drugs, a new national survey said.
Teens 15 and older who drank alcohol were seven times more likely to have intercourse than those who did not drink, while those who took drugs were five times more likely. Those who drank or used drugs were also prone to have more sex partners. "When you mix drinking and drugs and sex, you move into the world of the danger of getting AIDS, which is life threatening, or sexually transmitted disease, teen pregnancy and rape," said Joseph Califano Jr., President of The National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA). "Kids do not understand this."
{"Survey Says Teens Mix Risky Sex with Alcohol, Drugs," Reuters, abcnews.go.com - Feb. 2002}
Date Rape and Alcohol/Drugs
GHB (gamma hydroxy butyric acid) is called the “date rape drug,” and the use of this or any other substance to facilitate rape is a crime. Forty percent of the date rape cases involved the use of alcohol, which is ten times greater than the use of GHB!
{“Will the Real ‘Date Rape Drug’ Please Stand up?” by Ward Dean, MD, in Vitamin Research News, June 2000, J. Analytical Toxicology, 1999}
Alcohol plays a role in 70% of the date rape cases. Consent in some states is not meaningful if under the influence of alcohol, drugs or prescription medication. One out of five women worldwide will be the victim of rape or attempted rape during her lifetime.
Middle School and High School Students
Most middle school students say they will not smoke cigarettes, but they see little wrong with alcohol. Teenagers drink because it makes them more comfortable with their own bodies and their sexuality, and facing social situations. The use of the drug alcohol only causes delays their maturation until a later time.
Alcohol use among kids 9 to 15 is rising, with serious costs to them and to us. Drinking alcohol in childhood has been linked to lifelong health and emotional problems, early sexual activity and poor grades. And the problem is everywhere, not just in the big cities.
{www.alcoholfreechildren.org - Bad News About “Bottle Babies,” Parade magazine, Dec. 22, 2002}
A survey of 15,000 students in grades 6 through 12 found that parental permissiveness was a more important risk factor than ‘peer pressure, which shows that parents need to take a firm stand against any use of alcohol or other drugs. Only a third received a clear “don't drink” message. There were several ‘surprises’ found in this survey. When parents bargained with their kids (as when allowing them to drink if they promise not to drive drunk) the kids were more likely to drive when they have been drinking, or be in a car when someone else is driving. One-third of the seniors reported drinking or using drugs while driving during the previous year. Nine percent said they had driven while drinking/using drugs at least ten times the previous year!
Nearly 20% of American High School students report than they have seriously considered or attempted suicide at least once. In 1998, more teenagers and young adults died from suicide than from all of the following combined: cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease.
{Tipper Gore, Honorary chair, National Mental Health Awareness Campaign, www.nostigma.com, in Ann Lander's column, Jun. 26, 2002}
Teens who use alcohol are more likely to carry a weapon, and less able to make decisions about its use when ‘under the influence.’
{HealthCentral.com, Mar. 2001}
Under-aged Drinking on Campus
Despite the national 21-year minimum drinking age law, under-aged drinking is pervasive on college campuses, according to a study released by the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. About half the students on college campuses are under-aged and 63% reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days. The ‘drinker’ said it was easy to get, could get it inexpensively and would more likely drink in private settings such as dorms and fraternity parties.
Easily obtainable cheap alcohol, especially beer, fuels binge drinking for under-age
college students,” said Henry Wechsler, PhD, lead author of the study.
{“Under-aged Drinkers Pay Less and Drink More,” alcoholism.about.com - Dec. 2000}
Rather than take a hard line on abstinence from alcohol, colleges are trying campaigns that stress moderation and calling it “social-norms marketing.” Funding is coming from beer makers, including Anheuser-Busch, the nations biggest brewer and messages of moderation are displayed on posters, T-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. To date Anheuser-Busch has committed nearly $400,000 to the University of Virginia and six other schools for social-norms campaigns. Richard Keeling, editor of the Journal of American College Health and a former student health director at both the University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin said the alcohol industry is not prepared to reduce consumption.
{Jointogether.org - Dec. 2000}
Bone Mass Formation and Alcohol Consumption During Adolescence
Alcohol consumption during adolescence reduces peak bone mass and can result in relatively weak adult bones that are more susceptible to fracture. After bones stop growing lengthwise, they continue to increase in mass, probably reaching peak bone mass at some point between the ages of 9 and 18. From age 16 throughout adulthood, bone undergoes constant remodeling and replacement in order to maintain resilience and adapt to shifting stress patterns. Between ages 20 and 40, bone density begins to decline, resulting in a cumulative decrease in skeletal mass of 30 to 40% by age 70.
Women experience an accelerated reduction in bone mineral density following menopause. As aging bones weaken, they reach a point at which even minor stress can cause fractures. Achieving optimal bone mass during adolescence may reduce a person's risk for developing osteoporosis later in life. It can be influenced by lifestyle factors such as alcohol use. A survey found that 63% of seniors had been drunk at least once and 51% had consumed alcohol in the month before the survey, most respondents had consumed alcohol for the first time before age 13.
Results of animal and human experiments indicate that alcohol directly inhibits the action of bone-forming cells.
{"Alcohol's Harmful Effects on Bone," Alcohol Health & Research World, NIAAA, Feb. 2002}
Other Health Risks
Girls who consume alcohol during early adolescence place themselves at increased risk for delayed puberty and other hormonal consequences.
{Alcohol Health and Research World, NIAAA Journal, Vol. 22, No. 3, 1998, pages 165-169}
We need to teach our youth that alcoholic beverages are carcinogenic, and act as a depressant and a drug, no less dangerous because it is legal. Moderate (and even light) use of alcohol carries many, many risks to the entire body.
Adolescents may be even more vulnerable to brain damage from excessive drinking than older individuals. Alcohol was found to impair activity in the brain receptors responsible for memory and learning.
{“Binge Drinking Affects Brain, Memory,” About.com - Jan. 2001}
Boys will be boys, teenagers will drink, and it's hard for many adults to take teen drinking very seriously. They should take it seriously according to a study reported in JAMA. Even teens with relatively minor problems are at high risk for alcoholism, and the bottom line is that teen drinking predicts problems in adulthood.
{"Alcohol and Motor Vehicle-Related Deaths of Children as Passengers, Pedestrians, and Bicyclists," by Lewis Margolis, MD, JAMA 2000 and "Natural Course of Alcohol Use Disorders from Adolescence to Young Adulthood," Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2001}
It is stated that the Alcoholic Beverage Control supports responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages by citizens 21 years of age or older who choose to drink. They define ‘responsible’ drinking as consumption that has no adverse consequences to the health and safety of the person using alcohol or to others. However, the ‘clues’ that determine if a person has consumed too much are relaxed inhibitions, impaired judgment, slowed reactions and impaired coordination, and it only takes one drink to produce these symptoms according to drug awareness agencies.
The media paints a very positive picture of alcohol use, deceiving our young people which leads them to start drinking at an early age. There is no balance of the risks involved. It only takes ‘one’ drink to affect the brain and leave the drinker less able to make responsible decisions, such as taking another drink, driving, or engaging in sex, and most young people do not stop at one drink. We need to show our youth that social events need not have alcoholic beverages available to have a good time.