Pubdate: Tue, 20 Aug 2002
Source: Charleston Gazette (WV)
Copyright: 2002 Charleston Gazette
Contact:  http://www.wvgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/77
Author: Ed Farrell
Note: Ed Farrell is an associate professor at the WVU
Department of Pediatrics Division of Adolescent Medicine.

DRUG OF CHOICE: TEEN DRINKING ON THE RISE

I read with great interest the article "Are Cars the New Bars?" in the Aug. 
3 Flipside supplement to the Gazette. The author, Ry Rivard, apparently a 
student at Braxton County High School, is to be commended for his writing 
and for bringing this to our attention.

Mr. Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Highway Safety Institute, was 
quoted as saying "What works is sobriety." Indeed, if only it were that 
simple. Humans have not been known to practice sobriety for centuries. 
Alcohol has been the "drug of choice" since before the time of the ancient 
Greeks and Romans, and it remains the drug of choice for current day 
American youth.

Accidents are the leading cause of injury and death in our teens with motor 
vehicle accidents being responsible for 31 percent of the deaths, with 
homicide and suicide being second and third. Thirty-three percent of our 
teens report having been riding with a drinking driver in the 30 days prior 
to the survey. (Center for Disease Control, 1999 Youth Risk Behavior 
Survey.) Alcohol is a major contributor to these deaths. In fact, one study 
(NHTSA 1998) showed that over 21 percent of the nearly 8,000 drivers ages 
15-20 who were involved in fatal automobile crashes had been drinking and 
almost 14 percent were legally intoxicated.

In the United States, 88.3 percent of our youth have used alcohol by the 
time they are seniors in high school; 61.7 percent report current use; and 
41.6 percent report episodic heavy drinking (CDC). In West Virginia, 81.5 
percent have had alcohol by the time they are high school seniors; 48.6 
percent report drinking in the last 30 days;, and 35.5 percent report 
episodic heavy drinking. An incredible 32 percent report having their first 
drinks (more than a few sips) prior to age 13!

The long-term impact of this is severe. People who begin drinking prior to 
age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence and more 
than twice as likely to develop alcohol abuse than those who delay drinking 
to age 21.

Where does it all come from? First look at the home, where adults model 
inappropriate behavior through their own drinking. I know one young man, 
now 24 years of age, who at age 11 was taught to drink and to fight by his 
grandfather. By the time he was 15, he was addicted to cocaine.

Next it comes from merchants who sell alcohol to underage customers, or to 
legal age customers who then share it with teens. And finally, the schools 
have to bear some responsibility as well. The sad statistic is that 7.3 
percent of teens report having consumed alcohol on school property. And an 
incredible 27.8 percent report having offered, sold, or been given an 
illegal drug on school property.

Given the long-standing use of alcohol over the centuries, I do not look 
for sobriety any time soon. But that does not mean we cannot try to do 
something about it. To use a phrase from one of my favorite people, Dr. 
Margaret Mead, anthropologist, "Never doubt that a small group of dedicated 
citizens can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has."

So let's get to work.
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MAP posted-by: Tom