Alcohol Abuse

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than 70 percent of teens have had at least one drink by the time they reach age 18. Since this abuse is so common, it’s not surprising that many teens with very persistent cases of addiction simply don’t believe they have a problem. Everywhere they turn, […]

Alcohol is one of the most commonly abused drugs among males and females between the ages of 12 and 20, and when teenagers consume alcohol, they often drink to get drunk. Binge drinking, which is defined as the consumption of four to five drinks within two hours or less, is a common practice among teens […]

Laws National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and while the restrictions vary from state to state, most communities require young people to abstain from either purchasing or ingesting alcohol until they reach age 21. By this time, the thinking goes, young people have reached an age at which they’re better able to control their […]

Combining alcohol with caffeine isn’t new, as anyone who has slurped down a cup of Irish coffee can attest. But there’s a new kind of drink being sold in some convenience stores, and it blends remarkably high amounts of caffeine with similarly U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 31 percent of youth ages 12 […]

Teenage drunk driving is an extremely dangerous problem that can lead to devastating consequences. For teens, a driver’s license is a ticket to freedom. Instead of asking parents and friends for rides to far-flung places, they can simply slide behind the wheel, fire up the engine and motor to their destination without a care in […]

Even though national statistics show that alcohol abuse in teens has declined in recent years, the frequency of abuse and the amount of the drug consumed still exceed most other substances, reports the National Institute on Drug Abuse. For example, in 2013, nearly 13 percent of 10th graders and 26 percent of 12th graders reported […]

But as the public becomes more aware of the health risks of binge drinking, parents and educators are becoming more concerned about these activities. Drinking games encourage young people to consume large quantities of alcohol within a short period of time, putting them at risk of alcohol poisoning. Other risks of binge drinking include: Accidental […]

Prevention efforts across the country have been in full force for decades to promote the knowledge that drinking and driving is deadly. Teenagers, specifically, have been targeted with this campaign in an effort to decrease the number of teen lives lost to drunk driving accidents. But is alcohol use during the teen years any more […]

Teenagers who are living with autistic characteristics and/or ADHD may be more likely to abuse alcohol reports a new study at Washington University in St. Louis. For some parents, this may seem counterintuitive. Since most people on the autism spectrum struggle with social interactions and alcohol is primarily a social drug during the teen years, […]

It’s well known that drunk driving is dangerous. So too is drugged driving. But a recent study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs found that when teens mix alcoholic beverages with use of marijuana, the results are often even more deadly than when using just one of these substances. Specifically, the […]

Every so often, there are stirrings from some groups who hope to lobby for lowering the legal drinking age in the United States. Currently, the legal drinking age is 21 years old, but some believe it should be lowered to age 18, the same age that Americans can vote or enlist in the military. However, […]

It’s a confusing time to be a teenager. Parents and teachers are attempting to educate teens on the dangers of using drugs and alcohol while governments are legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and supposed “legal highs” provided by synthetic substances are easily found online. New drugs, new laws, and new statistics that highlight the growing […]

When teens refer to their “designated driver,” they may not mean the same thing as adults. To most people, a designated driver is someone who has agreed to remain completely clean and sober throughout the entire evening and provide transportation for everyone in the group until everyone is safe at home. Unfortunately, Bloomberg News reports […]

Assault, injury, and death caused by alcohol are the norm for many fraternities across the country, and so too are lawsuits pressing charges on behalf of those harmed. It’s not the isolated incident that many fraternities under pressure would have you believe, but it’s something that rarely makes it into the press. Why? Lots of […]

For years, the surgeon general has been advising parents to do a number of different things to help their teens when underage alcohol abuse becomes an issue. Researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) are backing up these recommendations with the results of a study that they recently published in the […]

Though it may seem like a joke, a movie ploy or an outdated practice, random strangers purchasing alcohol for teenagers is not a rare event. In fact, undercover cops regularly bust adults who give into the pleas of teens who beg strangers to buy beer for them. In doing this, the hope is that the […]

Summer is coming, and with it comes a ton of risks for teens. One of the most significant risks is underage drinking, an issue that is always a problem but one that increases exponentially during the summer months. In fact, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s NSDUH Report found that first-time use of […]

The amount and frequency that college kids drink in the United States is at an all-time high, according to the New York Post, and they blame the problem on a lack of academic requirements for higher education. According to the article, back in 1961 the average college student who attended classes full-time spent about 25 […]

In every state across the country, it is illegal for kids under the age of 18 to buy cigarettes, just as it is illegal for those under the age of 21 to purchase alcohol. With the updated technology used to create IDs, it is harder and harder for teens to get a hold of one […]

Teen drinking poses a serious problem across the United States, and one Illinois school has decided to take drastic measures to try to mitigate the issue. St. Viator High School has implemented random alcohol tests among students by collecting hair samples. According to a Newsroom article, St. Viator High School has been randomly drug testing […]

Drinking is considered to be a vital part of the college experience in today’s society, but is that really what college is about? Theodore Caputi doesn’t think so. In a Newsroom article, Caputi discusses the expectations of today’s college students to drink. Caputi makes a compelling point about the almost immediate shift in attitudes concerning […]

According to CBS Sports, the National Football League and the National Football League Players Association have agreed to increase the discipline imposed on players who violate the league’s alcohol policy. The two associations must first agree on a human growth hormone testing policy. The man at the head of the NFL’s security, Adolpho Birch, is […]

There have been many studies connected to child development and correlations to later abuse of alcohol and other substances, but a study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research focuses on specific childhood characteristics that can indicate higher risk of alcohol abuse as a teen. In this study, researchers tested whether measures of character collected […]

As a parent, wouldn’t it be great if you knew every issue and struggle that your child would face in life? If you did, you could do everything within your power to prevent those problems from ever occurring, and you would be better armed to confront them if they did occur. While there’s no surefire […]

A new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health takes a look at the first drinking experiences of children living in a Pennsylvania county, and the results are disturbing. The study reveals that around 37 percent of children in the county admitted to having tasted alcohol by the time they reached the age of […]

Though many parents seem to believe that allowing their children to “experiment” with drugs and alcohol is not only safe but also normal, the research is steadily piling up that proves that thought wrong. Why? Here are just a few facts: It just takes one time. One night of unprotected sex can create a lifelong […]

As a parent, it is tempting to make concessions for bad behavior in your teen, even if you understand that your choice may not be in your child’s best interest. Some parents choose to be more lenient than perhaps they should when it comes to teenage drinking in the home. It’s an issue that is […]

Sensationalism and the media have long gone hand in hand. Shocking images, music, and over-the-top aggression in ads are commonplace at this point. Marketers have spent decades inundating the public with shocking images in an attempt to capture attention, deliver a message, and/or sway opinion. The ads against the use and abuse of drugs and […]

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that just four years of heavy alcoholic drinking during the college years may be all it takes to increase an individual’s risk for the development of chronic and fatal health problems that include: Heart attacks Strokes Atherosclerosis So how do you […]

It’s not just the rate of teen alcohol use but which alcoholic beverages and brands were most often used by teens that was the topic of a recent study published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Researchers determined that: Half of underage drinkers drink one or more of the top 25 brands chosen […]

Your opinion matters. Even when your son is busily packing for college, daydreaming about a new life beyond the confines of home and parental boundaries, your input on what he may or may not—or should or should not—experience in terms of alcohol use when he first leaves home has a significant impact on the choices […]

Romance can be just as inciting to drug use and abuse among preteens and young teens as it is for adults, according to a new study published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence. The study found that kids in middle school who dated and had relationships were twice as likely to use alcohol, marijuana, […]

When it was determined that cigarette ads were aimed at persuading teens to smoke, the industry was forced to make significant changes in the interest of protecting young Americans from developing a deadly addiction to tobacco. Now, studies are showing that alcohol ads are not only aimed at teenagers and young adults but that they […]

Middle school and high school kids don’t fare well when someone in their immediate family is deployed. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reports that kids in this situation are at a higher risk of abusing drugs and alcohol, especially when the deployed serviceman or servicewoman is a parent or sibling. […]

Personality issues can be hugely problematic for teenagers, especially when they contribute to social awkwardness or an inability to get emotional and other needs met at home and at school. A new study looked into the efficacy of a high school program that offered teens the tools to manage problematic personality issues with the goal […]

Peer influence is a huge factor in the development of teen drug abuse, but a new study suggests that the opinions of your son’s best friend may have the biggest impact on whether or not he opts to have that first alcoholic drink. If your son has friends who drink, this is one of the […]

A survey of about 2,500 teenagers found that most teens are not asked by their doctors about their drinking behaviors. Of the participants, about 80 percent had gone to their physician within the last year, but only 54 percent had doctors who inquired as to whether or not they drank alcohol, and only about 40 […]

A study published by the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and reported on CollegeDrinkingPrevention.gov indicates that when the minimum drinking age is reduced, significantly more problems with teen alcohol abuse occurs along with all related issues. These include: Car accidents Accidental deaths Alcoholism and addiction Increased rates of teen abuse of other substances It’s an […]

The choice in mixer can increase the danger inherent to alcohol abuse in teens, says a CBS News report. Both diet soda and energy drinks have been determined to increase the effects of alcohol, but energy drinks have been identified as specifically hazardous for teens because mixing the drinks with liquor is a popular choice […]

Not sure how to help your child avoid the risks of drug and alcohol abuse in the teen years? Here are a few tips to get you started: Set a good example. You may not think that your son is watching or cares about your behavior, but the fact is that kids are paying very […]