Trends In Teen Drinking Habits
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Yet more evidence to suggest that we need to watch alcohol usage in teens very closely.
According to a report in the journal Alcoholism, teenagers who try their first alcoholic drink at a young age are more likely to get intoxicated while young, drink more frequently and binge drink more often.
That is quite a list of high risk behavior and it does not end there.
What the study also has found is the shorter the time from first drink to first intoxication, the more likely they were to binge drink.
The information is based on research which asked 896 high school students about their alcohol use habits.
The take home message here is quite clear. Early education about drugs and alcohol is essential.
Certainly we cannot correct the overall problem but we could put a significant dent into it with these measures.