The Institute on Global Drug Policy and Practice :: Volume 3, Issue 2


	CURRENT ISSUE	PREVIOUS ISSUES	RESPONSES	SEARCH	ABOUT US

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 - FALL 2009
Underage Alcohol Use: An International Challenge

While national drug policy has quite correctly focused heavily on illegal drug use for the last 25 years, the specter of adolescent alcohol use is finally beginning to be recognized as an enormous public health issue. Despite the compelling evidence of massive consequences of underage alcohol use, fringe groups such as the Amethyst Initiative and other misguided individuals push for reductions in the legal drinking age. Those of us with extensive expertise in addiction see such proposed changes as disastrous at best. When such obviously flawed policy initiatives are set forth, one cannot help but speculate as to who gains from and perhaps even profits off of the suffering of young drinkers.

The following papers represent state-of-the-art positions and information on underage drinking. Prominent in this discussion will be the fact that alcohol appears to affect young drinkers differently than adults. By virtue of their lack of brain development, alcohol exposure in adolescents sets them up for long-term medical consequences and greater likelihood of alcoholism.

The development and implementation of appropriate and effective alcohol policy for adolescents is made difficult by the high level of social acceptance of alcohol consumption in general, and underage consumption in particular. Unfortunately, many parents and policy makers consider alcohol use a right of passage or something to be taught to do safely. Evidence suggests that children who are allowed to drink in the home have a higher incidence of binge drinking and problem drinking (1). The issue is further complicated by the insidious impact of alcohol marketing and lobbying directed at young people.

Europe has often been hailed as an example of successful alcohol policy by those advocating relaxed attitudes toward adolescent alcohol. Increasingly, European policy makers are recognizing the problems that alcohol is causing among youth. In Milan for example, 34 percent of eleven year olds have a problem with alcohol, and 22.8 percent of Italian youth age 11-18 have drinking habits that pose a health risk. This has led to the initiation of stricter drinking laws in some Italian cities (2).

The 2007 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) dealing with the use of drugs among 15-16 year olds in Europe found that an average of 43 percent reported binge drinking episodes of 5 or more drinks in the prior 30 days (3). By comparison, 18.1% of 10th graders and 28.7% of high school seniors in the United States have reported being “drunk” in the previous 30 days (4).

Misguided attitudes advocating for loosening underage alcohol policy reflect relative ignorance of developmental and addiction data. Oddly enough, the same individuals who support or tolerate adolescent alcohol use would never accept systematic toxin exposure or poisoning of adolescents. Such is the net effect of allowing young, fragile, impressionable, developing brains to be exposed to alcohol.

Eric A. Voth, M.D., FACP
Editor in Chief
The Journal of Global Drug Policy and Practice

References
1. Relaxed Attitudes Toward Alcohol And Youth May Increase Risk Of Binge Drinking In College ScienceDaily (June 11, 2009)

2. Vino is no-no as Italian city tries to cork youth drinking problems. Associated Press July 20, 2009

3. Hibell B et al. (2009) The 2007 ESPAD report: substance use among students in 35 European countries. Stockholm: The Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN) and the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe.

4. Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2008). Monitoring the Future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2007 (NIH Publication No. 08-6418). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.

IN THIS ISSUE
Alcohol Promotion on Facebook

Adolescent Brain Development and Alcohol Abuse

Reducing Youth Access – The Impact of
Policy Change

COMMENTARY
WHO’s Global Strategy to Reduce Alcohol-Related
Harm: Can the Potential be Realized?

UPDATES
Alcohol Research

Alcohol Promotion on Facebook
Sarah Mart, Jacob Mergendoller, Michele Simon
Marin Institute, San Rafael, California, United States

Since its debut five years ago, Facebook has grown exponentially to include colleges and universities, high school and business networks, along with the general public around the globe. In that same time, Facebook also changed its advertising policies and regulations from not offering online advertising to soliciting paid advertisements for products and services including alcohol products. Although the company’s policy requires paid advertisements for alcohol to include age restrictions, the policy is not enforced by Facebook, nor does the restriction requirement apply to other sources of alcohol content throughout Facebook. For this article, we explored the prevalence of alcohol-related content found in popular aspects of Facebook profiles. We also identified aspects of Facebook that contain a great deal of alcohol content and are accessible by anyone, regardless of age. We offer recommendations for both Facebook and the alcohol industry to remove paid ads and other types of content promoting alcohol products and dangerous drinking behaviors in order to protect youth and young adults from the harmful effects of alcohol advertising.

Adolescent Brain Development and Alcohol Abuse
Ken C. Winters, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota
Senior Scientist, Treatment Research Institute

New scientific discoveries have put a much different perspective on our understanding of adolescent behavior. Research now suggests that the human brain is still maturing during the adolescent years. The developing brain may help explain why adolescents sometimes make decisions that are risky and can lead to safety or health concerns, including unique vulnerabilities to alcohol abuse.

Reducing Youth Access – The Impact of Policy Change
Michelle Voth, MPA, Executive Director, Kansas Family Partnership

The enactment of social hosting laws is increasing both at the state level and at local levels throughout the nation. While specific wording of each law and the penalties associated with them may differ slightly, all social hosting laws establish liability against those who allow underage drinking events or parties on property they own, lease or otherwise control. This article describes the progression of how one state enacted and strengthened its social hosting law and provided tools to educate parents and others at the local level.

Alcohol Research
Adolescent alcohol use may affect decision making area of the brain More

Numbers of bars in rural areas associated with higher suicide rates More

Australian twin study finds that early onset of drinking may alter gene expression More

Web-based intervention and screening may reduce drinking in undergraduate students More

Colleges identified with heavy drinking showing no signs of change More

Drink discounts at college bars present danger to public health and safety More

Advertisements for alcohol appear much more frequently on television shows that appeal to teens, especially on cable More

Medications vulnerable to dose dumping should be tested for reactions to alcohol More

Information for Authors