AAAS suggests that teens may be kept safer if they understand the risks they take on with underage drinking. Specialists note that most teens do not know their capacity for alcohol, which can put them at a greater risk for alcohol poisoning.

This risk is significant given that nearly one million high school students throughout the nation engage in binge drinking activities, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). This means that these teens are consuming four to five drinks in a two-hour period.

When a drunk individual attempts to “sleep it off”, he or she may be still experiencing rises in their blood alcohol concentrations as this can continue to rise even after drinking stops. This can also affect the gag reflex and if this is impaired, can cause a person to choke on vomit or accidentally inhale it into the lungs.

While alcohol poisoning is still more readily found among adults, it does still occur in teens. It is important that both parents and teens understand the signs of alcohol poisoning, such as slow breathing, irregular breathing, blue-tinged skin, confusion or stupor, low body temperature or unconscious and can’t be awakened.

Treating alcohol poisoning includes breathing support, intravenous fluids and vitamins to flush the alcohol out of the body completely. Brain damage can occur, which is irreversible.
 

Understanding the biological effects of heavy drinking during the teen years is important in developing effective educational tools for encouraging responsible alcohol choices by teens and encouraging parents to monitor their children’s behavior closely. Researchers have recently discovered an explanation for one effect that may contribute to the choices that teens make to consume large quantities of alcohol.

While researchers have known that teens are less sensitive than adults to the motor-impairing effects of alcohol, the reason for the difference in the brain’s response has been unclear. Neuroscientists at Baylor University have identified cellular and molecular mechanisms in teens that may cause the lessen effects of motor impairment.

The study, which appears online in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, provides insight into the differences between adults and teens in their physical response to binge drinking. Dr. Doug Matthews, a research scientist at Baylor and the lead author of the study, reports that the studies findings are helpful for explaining why teens sometimes drink alcohol to dangerous levels. Matthews indicates that hay alcohol consumption increases in adolescence and peaks between 21 and 25 years, making it important to understand the underlying mechanisms.

The mechanisms studied by the research team center on the firing rate of a neuron called the cerebellar Purkinje neuron. In adolescent animal models, the neuron was insensitive to large alcohol doses, while in adults the neuron’s firing rate was significantly depressed.

In adults, the spontaneous firing rate from the Purkinje neurons decreased about 20 percent, which represents significant motor impairment. By contrast the teens did show a slight motor impairment, but the activity measured involving the Pukinje neuron did not significantly change when alcohol was administered to the subject. The adolescent animal model instead showed a five percent increase in firing rate.

The researchers believe that the results examined in this study provide some information about the differences between effects of alcohol in adults and teens. However, many other systems are affected by alcohol and the differences between adults and teens are likely very complex and cannot be fully explained by the Purkinje neuron. There are likely to be contributions from other systems in the body to the different behaviors exhibited by teens and adults.

The same could be said about Halloween on college campuses. As college students tend to still be on campus, it is not uncommon for them to engage in binge drinking or alcohol abuse.

For St. Olaf, featured in a recent Manitou Messenger report, a focus on a dry campus is important, but Halloween on campus is often viewed as the Mardi Gras of the north. Students are provided too many opportunities to cut loose and many take the activities a little too far.

In 2009, six St. Olaf students were hospitalized for acute intoxication; another person was sent to detox. A number of students were also cited for underage consumption over the holiday weekend. A car accident sent victims to a hospital outside of the community because the local ER already had too many patients with alcohol-related injuries.

For the 2010 Halloween holiday, the alcohol-fueled incidents dropped drastically due to the efforts St. Olaf has put into reducing the alcohol cases on Halloween. Administration worked with off-campus landlords, paramedics, the Northfield police and bar owners.

In February of this year, the administration was examining the strong correlation between the bar dances at Halloween and the number of alcohol cases. Bar owners re-evaluated their standards of acceptable behavior, which helped to reduce the number of hospitalizations and other alcohol-related incidents.

At the same time, St. Olaf launched an educational campaign targeted at the students, with positive outcomes. The results demonstrate that a proactive approach can be very beneficial in reducing the number of alcohol-related incidents on campus.
 

A study conducted in Australia found that there is an association among children between binge drinking and obtaining alcohol from people other than parents. The study was released by The Australian Drug Foundation from researchers at Deakin University.

The researchers interviewed 4,000 children that were between the ages of 10 and 14. The questionnaires focused on underage drinking and contained questions about binge drinking and where the children obtained alcohol.

The results of the study showed that children who are supplied with alcohol from adults other than their parents may be six times more likely to binge drink. The study’s authors note that only Queensland and Tasmania have laws that punish the dispensing of alcohol to people under 18 without parental consent.

The authors believe that the lack of such laws in other areas of Australia raise the risk of alcohol-related problems among children. Victoria, South Australia, the ACT, Western Australia and the Northern Territory have not implemented laws regulating the supply of alcohol to children.

The study also found that that when adolescents report family conflict, they are more likely to report having obtained alcohol from a person other than a parent.

The choices of friends were also critical in determining whether a child obtained alcohol. The more friends a child had who drank alcohol, the more likely the child was to obtain alcohol from a person other than a parent.

The findings are important because when children drink alcohol, they raise their risk for alcohol-related problems. Children who drink expose themselves to possible harm from sexual assault, injury or death, and may set themselves up for a lifetime struggle with alcohol dependence. .

The Australian Drug Foundation believes that the study’s results highlight the importance of laws that give parents sole responsibility for deciding whether to provide alcohol to their own children.

Such laws provide protection for children who may choose to drink heavily during adolescence, a time of critical brain development, and who may be increasing their risk for serious alcohol dependence problems as they transition to adulthood.
 

The NSDUH 2008 report combined with the Drug Abuse Warning Network (which documents emergency department visits related to drug abuse) provide valuable information about alcohol-related injuries. In 2008, NSDUH reported that 26.4 percent of all persons aged 12 to 20 had consumed alcohol in the past month, and 17.4 percent were binge drinkers.

The 2008 DAWN Report provided data on 188,981 alcohol-related emergency department visits for adolescents between 12 and 20 years of age. Of these visits, 70 percent involved alcohol only, while 30 percent involved other drugs in addition to alcohol. 57.3 percent of those visits that were for a combination of drugs and alcohol involved marijuana.

More males than females visited the emergency department for alcohol-related injury, at 58.6 percent. Approximately 60 percent of the visits were made by individuals aged 18 to 20.

Almost 20 percent of individuals treated in an emergency department for alcohol-related injury required some type of follow-up care, including admission to the hospital, transfer to another healthcare facility or referral to substance abuse treatment. About 12 percent of alcohol-only visits required follow-up, but when drugs were part of the problem, about 35 percent required follow-up.

The emergency department is a resource for identifying high-risk adolescents in danger of developing an alcohol or drug dependency. The findings of the DAWN report highlight the significance of underage drinking as a costly public health concern. It suggests the need for focused attention in this area to prevent underage drinking.

The DAWN data is useful in identifying the extent of alcohol-related problems for young people aged 12 to 20. It is encouraging to note that the majority of the emergency department visits did not result in follow-up care for the young person.

The report is also encouraging because it supports previous research showing the effectiveness of brief motivational interventions that take place in the emergency department. The individuals who require follow-up care may provide a target group for additional education about the dangers of substance addiction.
 

The survey is administered annually. In the most recent survey, over 45,000 students reported from almost 400 schools across the country. The survey targets eighth, 10th and 12th graders who are given the survey by researchers at the University of Michigan.

The recently released results show that trends are shifting in the attitudes teens have about drugs and their use of them. One area that showed significant improvement is the use of methamphetamine. Only 1.2 percent of students reported having used methamphetamine in the last year, which is the lowest rate since the questions regarding methamphetamine were added in 1999. In addition, fewer students say that methamphetamine is easily obtainable, compared with five years ago (14 percent versus 19.5 percent).

Another significant shift showed that cigarette smoking is at its lowest for all three ages in the history of the survey. Only 2.7 percent of eighth graders identified themselves as daily smokers, as compared with 10.4 percent in 2006. However, there is concern regarding the rise in smokeless tobacco use reflected in the recent survey. The rate of 10th graders using smokeless tobacco was higher than it was last year.

NIDA director Dr. Nora Volkow explains that this information is very important. The decline in cigarette use means longer lives for these teens, and the rise in smokeless tobacco use gives the NIDA critical information about where to focus their efforts.

Some measures on the survey were new this year. For instance, the survey included questions about the hallucinogenic salvia leaf, and the stimulant Adderall, used to treat ADHD. Many students are acquiring prescription drugs illegally, usually from a friend or relative. 5.7 percent of students reported having used the salvia leaf, and over 5 percent had also used Adderall.

The 2009 survey highlights the use of prescription and over-the-counter drugs by teenagers. Seven of the ten substances abused by the surveyed students were either prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

Although alcohol consumption has declined overall, the 2009 shows a softening of attitudes toward alcohol, with fewer students identifying binge drinking as a dangerous behavior.

The information provided by the survey of high school students is critical in helping the government decide how to allocate funds for education and prevention. As the attitudes of the teen population shifts, the focus of education and prevention will be able to shift with them.
 

German researchers decided to take a closer look at the phenomenon and their findings were reported in a recent Science Daily release. In their study, these researchers determined that high school students were experiencing greater numbers of migraines and tension-type headaches (TTH) due to alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.

The researchers also found drinking coffee and a consistent physical inactivity to be linked with migraines. They were attempting to identify modifiable risk factors for the variety of headaches reported in the youth population.

In previous studies, researchers had found that headaches are the most often reported health complaint among youth as 5 to 15 percent of this age group appears to suffer from migraines and 15 to 25 percent deal with TTH. Until now, studies did not fully explore modifiable risk factors in the younger population.

In a study of 1,260 students in the 10th and 11th grades, researchers determined that 83.1 percent reported a headache at least one time in the previous six months. Of those 83.1 percent, 10.2 percent reported a migraine, 48.7 percent reported TTH and 19.8 percent reported experiencing a combination of the two.

An examination of diet revealed that 28.4 percent of the students studied never ate breakfast; 16.5 percent refrained from consuming any type of snack throughout the day; and only 24 percent took part in a warm lunch every day.

Alcohol consumption was widespread, however, as 38.5 percent of students consumed beer, 18.6 percent enjoyed wine; and 25.3 percent took part in cocktails at least once a week. Interestingly, 73.3 percent reported that they never smoked and 43.4 percent of students did not drink coffee.
 

A critical turning point in life is during the teen years, where an individual makes decisions that can affect their lives for many years. One of the most critical decisions a teenager can make is whether to use drugs and alcohol. Every day in the United States, many teens make the wrong choice.

The Office of Applied Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) manages four national data collections that give information about adolescent drug use and treatment.

Based on the four data collections, in 2008 almost one third of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 drank alcohol in the past year, approximately one fifth used drugs, and one sixth smoked cigarettes.

Despite reports of a decline in alcohol, drugs and cigarette use among teens between 2002 and 2008, the number of adolescents struggling remains steady. The number of teens treated for substance abuse was consistent across the years, and the number of adolescents treated in an emergency room for substance abuse was stable from 2004 to 2008.

In 2008, among teens aged between 12 and 17, 10.2 percent drank alcohol for the first time during the last year, and 6.0 percent tried an illicit drug for the first time. This equates to 7,540 teens trying alcohol for the first time, and 4,365 teens trying an illicit drug for the first time.

Marijuana was the most popular illicit drug, followed by prescription drugs.

SAMHSA’s data also reports that 8 million adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 drank alcohol in the past year in 2008, nearly 5 million used an illicit drug, and almost 4 million smoked cigarettes.
Among adolescents who used alcohol, the 2008 data shows that an average of 4.6 drinks per day were consumed, and that among those who used cigarettes, 4.4 cigarettes per day were smoked on the days that they smoked.
Treatment programs admitted 141,683 cases that were aged 12 to 17 in 2008. On an average day, treatment programs admitted 263 teens for marijuana treatment, and 76 teens for alcohol treatment, in addition to treating teens for stimulants and other illegal substances. The most common source of referral to treatment programs is the criminal justice system. Most treatment was done on an outpatient basis.
In 2008, there were approximately 250,000 drug-related emergency room visits by teens aged 12 to 17. 169,000 of those involved the use of alcohol or an illicit drug. In addition, on any given day there were 63 teens treated in an emergency room for drug-related suicide attempts.
The decisions a teen makes during junior high and high school years can have an impact on his future, but there may be none so critical as whether that student decides to try alcohol or drugs. Based on the data gathered by SAMHSA, an overwhelming number of teens are making the wrong choice and altering their life’s course.
 

But when her children reached their late teens, she loosened the reins a little. In Georgia, where she lives, parents are allowed to let their own children have alcohol in their own homes. Jason Hanna of CNN writes that Martha now lets her 18-year-old son have a beer or a little wine at home, in part to kill curiosity, but won’t serve his friends.

Suspecting alcohol will be part of his senior prom experience, she’s having him take a limo. While planning to escort him and his friends to a rented beach house for spring break this year, she expected to have a "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy, but she wouldn’t furnish alcohol, and she’d take away their car keys.

Martha says it’s probably unrealistic for parents to forbid alcohol to older teens outright. Instead, she thinks it’s best to teach moderation, safety, and responsibility. "If you can be around your child and monitor them all the time and watch everything they do, and if it works for you and them, then [prohibit it]," said Martha, an Atlanta-area resident who spoke on condition that her last name be withheld. "But I think, given what’s out there, you have to teach them how to be safe and considerate of others."

U.S. law requires states, as a condition of getting highway funds, to prohibit people under 21 from buying or publicly possessing alcohol. Some states have situational exceptions, but no state allows people to furnish alcohol to an underage person who isn’t their child, ward, or spouse, said Mike Hilton, deputy director of the division of epidemiology and prevention research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Yet about 10.1 million people ages 12 to 20 in the United States — more than a quarter of that age group — drank at least once in a certain month’s period in 2008, according to that year’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

More than 30 percent of underage drinkers said they paid for their most recent drink; for those who didn’t pay, the most common source was 21 or older and not a relative, according to the survey for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Hanna writes that with matters of health, safety, morality, and legality to consider, what goes through parents’ minds when they determine what stance to take with their children on alcohol?

Debbie Taylor of Casper, Washington, says she told her son, Casey, that she didn’t want him to drink while underage, but that if he ever did, he was not to drive. She wishes her message had been different.

Casey Taylor was 18 when he died of alcohol poisoning in July 2002. Just two months out of high school and one month into living away from home with a roommate, he had succumbed to a challenge from friends to chug a large amount of rum, his mother said, adding that his blood-alcohol content was 0.41 percent.

Debbie Taylor, 52, said she’d never caught her son (an honor roll student and varsity football player and wrestler) drinking, but she twice found rum bottles hidden in her garage when he was 17 and suspected they were his. She threw away the first one and left the second one.

"My reasoning for leaving the second bottle there was that all of the kids are doing it, and I did it growing up," she said. If I could go back, I would make it absolutely clear that I didn’t want him drinking at all—that he was underage, that it is not legal," she added. "That’s what I did with his younger brother [then 16] after Casey died. It was made perfectly clear to him that I didn’t want him drinking at all until he was 21. And he didn’t."

Taylor joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 2003 and is now the Wyoming chapter’s spokeswoman. She said she now believes teens aren’t ready to drink.

MADD supports the minimum drinking age of 21 years, citing numerous studies showing that it has reduced alcohol-related fatalities and injuries since it was federally mandated in the 1980s, and arguing that drinking can be harmful to teens’ still-developing brains.
Laura Dean-Mooney, MADD’s national president, said parents can prevent underage drinking by discussing rules and consequences often and early—starting around fourth grade, when peer pressure starts to kick in. She said parents can find tips on how to encourage alcohol abstinence and set rules and consequences on the MADD-operated website ThePowerOfParents.org.

"The tricky thing with letting kids in their late teens drink is that you’re not always going to be home every time they choose to drink. You’re not always going to be there to take away the keys," she said when asked whether she could understand parents who argue that absolute prohibition isn’t the way to go.

Sheri Reed, an editor with The Stir, a blog run by CafeMom about issues for mothers, says her readers give her a full range of reactions and perspectives when it comes to teens and alcohol.

Reed says the topic is important for her, in part because she’s a mother of boys ages 7 and 3, and because she’s a recovering alcoholic who started drinking in the eighth grade and has been sober for nine years.
The California resident has written that she has no intention of introducing alcohol to her children when they’re teens. She does intend to talk to her kids about her experiences and let them know that alcohol isn’t necessary for a fulfilled life.

She doesn’t know yet what her exact plan will be beyond lots of talks. But she says she doesn’t expect that she and her husband will be able to stop their children from trying alcohol before they’re 21.

"I don’t think that’s a reality in this world," Reed, 39, said. "It’s my hope that they just won’t be insane."

As for Martha of Georgia, she says she generally discourages her 18-year-old from drinking and reminds him it’s against the law outside her supervision at home. Putting him in school activities and encouraging him to study hard (she says he’s a straight-A student) helps keep him out of trouble.

"He has a good grounding in what’s healthy and what’s not. That’s what I taught my children—how to live with balance," she said. "I’ve seen people go extreme in either direction [with alcohol], and I don’t think either one is totally healthy."

Doctor Peter Delany of the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration says four percent of them buy their own alcohol.

He said many parents concentrate on other problems. "People have tended to look at illicit drugs as something worse. This is the number one drug for kids. It’s easily accessible for many of them. I think that people need to start paying attention and need to start talking to their kids and do it often," he said.

The three leading causes of death for young people are suicide, homicide, and accidents. Health experts say all those are exacerbated by alcohol use. Research also shows that teens who begin drinking before 15 are four times more likely to have alcohol problems as adults.