NYC Public High School Students Report Higher Levels of Drinking Post-9/11
The May 15th CESAR Fax reports an increase in drinking levels for 11% of New York City public high school students in the six months following the September 11th attacks in 2001. Students who had direct exposure to the attacks were more likely to report increased drinking, suggesting the use of alcohol as coping mechanism. A sensitivity analysis of the study shows a selection bias in addition to a lack of details regarding the changes in drinking behavior, but recommends that large scale disasters could be effectively followed by targeted intervention programs in anticipation of increased substance use or abuse.