Underage Drinking is Not a Rite of Passage

Transcription

1 Underage Drinking is Not a Rite of Passage Hopkins Community Coalition March 16, 2011 Jay Jaffee Minnesota Department of Health

2 Disclaimer This is hard work: There are no easy answers or quick fixes No silver bullets We did not get to this point overnight and we will not change it overnight It can be done: Everyone has a role It will take time years, maybe decades

3 Everyone Has an Important Role! Youth Parents and families Neighbors School staff Coaches and instructors Employers Health care providers Elected officials Public health Licensees Religious leaders Law enforcement Prosecutors Judges Media Community & service organizations Others

4 First the Data Drank in the past 30 days Minnesota college students 64.9% 1 12 th grade 40% 2 (Hopkins 42%) 2 9 th grade 19% 2 (Hopkins 16%) 2 Binge drank in past two weeks (5+ drinks at one time) Minnesota college students 32.8% 1 12 th grade 24% 2 (Hopkins 25%) 2 9 th grade 11% 2 (Hopkins 7.5%) Minnesota College Student Health Survey Minnesota Student Survey

5 Data Continued Drove after drinking or using drugs 12 th grade 25% 1 (Hopkins 21%) Minnesota college students 16.7% 2 Minnesota college student binge drinkers 37.5% 2 Binge drinkers are 14 times more likely to report alcohol-impaired driving than non-binge drinkers. 3 Rode with someone who had been drinking or using drugs 1 12 th grade 38% (Hopkins 41%) 9 th grade 19% (Hopkins 24%) Youth reported drinking 4.9 drinks on the days they drank, adults reported About 90% of alcohol consumed by youth under 21 in the U.S. is in the form of binge drinks Minnesota Student Survey University of Minnesota College Student Survey 3. Journal of the American Medical Association, Analysis of 2005 and 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 5. Drinking in America: Myths, Realities, and Prevention Policy, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2005

6 Putting the Data into Perspective How many Hopkins students are we talking about? Drinking: 42% of 12 th graders = % of 9 th graders = 99 Binge drinking: 25% of 12 th graders = % of 9 th graders = 46

7 Putting the Data into Perspective Driving after drinking or using other drugs: 21% of 12 th graders = 138 Rode with a friend who had been drinking or using other drugs: 41% of 12 th graders = % of 9 th graders = 148

8 Too Many Adults Say: So, what s the big deal, we drank when we were young! Kids will be kids! It s a rite of passage!

9 Too Many Adults Say: Our laws are too Puritanical, we should lower the drinking age: If they could drink in a safe setting like a bar everything would be okay. Teach them how to drink responsibly European countries have it right. If they are old enough to vote and fight for their country, they are old enough to drink! At least it s only alcohol!

10 We Drank When We Were Young: Kids will be Kids! Youth and young adult drinking is different now than it was for many of us. Ever use a beer bong? Ever play Beer Pong? Ever do a keg stand? Ever make a wizard stick? Ever use a beer stick or beer rifle? Ever play Stump? Ever play Edward 40 hands?

11 Beer Bong

12 The Ultimate Beer Bong

13 An Inflatable Beer Bong

14 Beer Pong

15 Ultimate Beer Pong

16 Even if You Don t Have a Table

17 A Keg Stand

18 Wizard Stick

19 The Beer (Bier) or Paint Stick

20 Stump

21 Edward Forty Hands AKA: 80 Ounces to Freedom

22 Alcohol Energy Drinks Mixing a stimulant with a depressant May be mixed or premixed Generally caffeine, guarana, ginseng or ephedra Consequences: Alert intoxicated people Heart strain Dehydration Possible seizures

23 Alcohol Energy Drinks Associated with increased binge drinking Twice as many episodes of weekly drunkenness Significantly more alcohol-related consequences: including being taken advantage of sexually, taking advantage of another sexually, riding with an intoxicated driver, being physically hurt or injured, and requiring medical treatment Caffeinated cocktails: energy drink consumption, high-risk drinking, and alcohol-related consequences among college students. O'Brien MC, McCoy TP, et al, May 2008

24 Alcohol Energy Drinks A 23.5 ounce can has about the same amount of alcohol as: a six-pack of light beer about four regular beers You can get drunk for $5 all night, said a Boston University student.

25 Alcohol Energy Drink Safety? In November 2010 the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to four companies stating the caffeine added to their alcoholic malt beverages is an unsafe food additive and...that further action, including seizure of their products, is possible under federal law.

26 Vodka Energy Drink

27 Energy Drink Popularity 500 new energy drink products introduced worldwide in 2006 Energy drink sales were about $3.2 billion 31 percent of year-olds are regular consumers vs. 22 percent of yearolds (one in ten adults overall) Alcohol-energy drinks generally cost less than energy drinks Source: Marin Institute and Mintel Group

28 It s a Rite of Passage Unfortunately, too many youth do not make it to adulthood and, of those who do, too many will experience harmful consequences including: Physical and mental health problems Possible alcohol dependence

29 If They Could Drink in a Safe Setting The tragedies of: Jason Reinhardt, Scott Radel, Amanda Jax, and many others dispute this theory!

30 If They Could Drink in a Safe Setting vita.mn: Flip Cup for D-cups Star Tribune June 19, 2009 Yep, you read that right. "Flip Cup" is that venerable college-drinking game, and "D-cups" are indeed breasts. The ingenious organizers behind the first annual "Flip Cup for D-Cups" are hoping frat boys will love the chance to play this relay drinking game out at the bar and help support two breast-cancer causes at the same time

31 If They Could Drink in a Safe Setting Nightwatch notes: A drunken spelling bee By Tom Horgen, Star Tribune January 17, 2008 Catch a buzz at the bee Oh, this is pure genius. On Feb. 2, the 331 Club in northeast Minneapolis will host the 1st Annual Drunken Spelling Bee. Yes, you heard it right, and yes, you are just as excited as I am. The competition will feature themed spelling rounds that will include topics such as celebrity names, hipster phraseology, alcoholic beverages and naughty words

32 Parents Provide a Safe Setting Students whose parents never allowed them to drink were significantly less likely to drink heavily in college, regardless of gender. The greater number of drinks that a parent had set as a limit for the teens, the more often they drank and got drunk in college. Caitlin Abar, Prevention Research and Methodology Center at Pennsylvania State University, 2009

33 Parents Provide a Safe Setting Schoolchildren who were permitted alcohol in the home by their parents in sixth grade were up to three times more likely to get drunk and almost twice as likely to drink heavily (five or more drinks) at ages Risk for alcohol dependence symptoms increased with decreasing age at first drink. Heritable influences on alcohol dependence symptoms were considerably larger in those who reported an age at first drink prior to 13 years of age Kelli Komro, University of Florida, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research December 2009

34 Teach Them How to Drink Responsibly Driver education courses do not seem to reduce crashes for beginning drivers DARE education program did not reduce drug usage by youth How can we expect an 18 year old to choose responsibly when they are drinking alcohol? They actually lose their inhibitions when under the influence.

35 Europeans Have it Right: Lower the Drinking Age Source: European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs (ESSPAD), 2007; U.S. Monitoring the Future Survey, 2007

36 Europeans Have it Right: Lower the Drinking Age The number of alcohol-related ED admissions in the U.K. doubled from to * The French Government raised the legal drinking age from16 to18 because of problems with youth binge drinking. In Milan, Italy they have imposed fines of 450 Euros for parents whose children (under 16) are found drinking. Russia has banned the depiction of people in beer advertising. * National Health Service, May 2008

37 Lower the Drinking Age? Young people who begin drinking before age 15 are: 6+ times more likely to meet the criteria for alcohol abuse and dependence than those who begin drinking at age And 2 : 12 times more likely to be unintentionally injured while under the influence of alcohol, 7 times more likely to be in a motor vehicle crash after drinking, and 10 times more likely to have been in a physical fight after drinking. 1. Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables, Social and Health Consequences of Underage Drinking. Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility, Background Papers (The National Academies Press, 2004.

38 Lower the Drinking Age? Adults who began drinking at age 16 or younger: drove drunk, suffered unintentional injuries, and became dependent on alcohol at about twice the rate as those who began drinking at age 21 or older. 1 The earlier a person begins drinking alcohol, the more likely they are to have ever used other drugs illicitly Ralph Hingson and Wenxing Zha, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), May 26, 2009 in the journal Pediatrics 2. National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, 2008

39 Lower the Drinking Age? The number of U.S. teenagers involved in fatal drunk-driving accidents has declined 11 percent because of laws that raised the legal drinking age to A drinking age of 18 is associated with adverse outcomes among births to young mothers -- including higher incidences of low birth weight and premature birth Accident Analysis and Prevention, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Minimum Drinking Age and Infant Health Outcomes, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2008

40 Lower the Drinking Age? Binge drinking among 21 to 24 year-olds was significantly higher than 18 to 20 yearolds and it has decreased among most groups but not 21 to 24 year-olds 1. Adults who legally were able to purchase alcohol before the age of 21 in their states are more likely than others are to be alcoholics or drug addicts Ralph Hingson, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), June Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, December 2009

41 If they are old enough to vote and fight for their country This is not a logical argument! The military needs people to follow orders unquestioningly. We need young people to question the wisdom of drinking excessively and not following others. The U.S. Army had a 56% increase in personnel in alcohol treatment between 2003 and They are doubling the number of counselors they have.* U.S. Navy has a drinking age of 21 for all bases, regardless of the drinking age in the country where they are located. *Army Vice Chief of Staff General Peter Chiarelli in USA Today, February 16, 2010

42 If they are old enough to vote and fight for their country Many rights have different ages: Snowmobile operation Age 12 Age for adult prosecution Age 14 Employment Age 14 Watercraft operation w/o adult Age 14 Hunting license (w/o an adult) Age 16 Fishing license Age 16 Drop out of school Age 16 Possession of firearms Age 16 Marry w/parental permission Age 16 Serve in military w/parental consent Age 17 Body piercing Age 18 Vote Age 18 Hold elected office in state Age 21 Rent a hotel room Age 21 Rent a car Age 25 Run for the U.S. House of Representatives Age 25 Run for President Age 35

43 At Least it s Only Alcohol! Binge drinking is associated with many health problems, including but not limited to: Unintentional injuries (e.g., car crashes, falls, burns, drowning). Intentional injuries (e.g., firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence). Alcohol poisoning. Sexually transmitted diseases. Unintended pregnancy. Children born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. High blood pressure, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. Liver disease. Neurological damage. Sexual dysfunction. Poor control of diabetes

44 At Least it s Only Alcohol! U of M Students (Ages 18-24)

45 At Least it s Only Alcohol! Binge Drinking and Grade Point Average Minnesota College Students 2008 Minnesota College Student Health Survey

46 At Least it s Only Alcohol! College students who describe themselves as regular binge drinkers performed considerably worse on a test measuring attention and memory skills (when sober) compared with students who didn't binge 1. Drinking large amounts of alcohol in one session affects the immune system by knocking out proteins essential for fighting off bacteria and viruses Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, August BioMed Central Immunology Journal, September 2009

47 And then there is Brain Development! The human brain does not fully develop until about age 25 The last part to develop is the pre-frontal cortex which controls judgment How old do you have to be to rent a car? Why?

48 What Can You Do? Speak up and help end this myth that underage alcohol use is a rite of passage and that alcohol abuse by anyone is acceptable. Be a good role model. state youth estimates of current drinking and binge drinking were generally moderately to strongly correlated with adult alcohol use. 1 teens who have seen their parent(s) drunk are more than twice as likely to get drunk in a typical month, and three times likelier to use marijuana and smoke cigarettes. 2 Encourage adoption and enforcement of effective policies to reduce high-risk alcohol use Family, school, community, etc. Help us change the norms about underage alcohol use and high-risk drinking. Our communities cannot afford to experience more of these tragedies. 1. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 36, Issue 3, March National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIV: Teens and Parents, the 14th annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

49 For More Information Jay Jaffee Or go to our website: