Last week's CESAR FAX revealed a gap between children's drug use and parents' awareness of said use. For 6th graders, 21% report alcohol use in the apst year whereas only 5% of parents of 6th graders believe their child had ever even tried alcohol. The gap shrinks with older children: for 12th graders, its 68% that use and 41% of parents that know about it. The trends are similar for other drugs.
French researchers conducted a case-control study of the link between childhood Leukemia and fetal exposure to alcohol. Alcohol use was found to be significantly associated with both lymphomic and nonlymphomic types of Leukemia. Cigarettes had no correlation, but drinking more than 4 cups of coffee per day did correlate to an increased risk of lymphomic Leukemia.
A group of twenty state attorneys general sought to strengthen the restrictions on advertising alcohol to minors. The attorneys general brought their proposal to the Federal Trade Commission. In this proposal, the group recommends that alcohol should only be advertised to groups where 85% of the people are of drinking age. Currently the level required is 70%, but critics point out that this number does not represent the true demographics of society, only 15% of the population is in the 12-20 age group. The level was increased to 70% only two years ago from 50%. The FTC has rejected the 85% level previously.
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.
A report issued by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) indicates that of adults aged 50 or over that entered substance treatment in 2003, 48 percent were admitted for alcohol only. Drawing on Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), they further concluded that a staggering 80 percent of those were male. Additionally, alcohol admissions constituted more first-time admissions (45 percent) than other substances (33 percent). This information comes as the population of older adults with substance abuse is anticipated to double from 1999 figures by 2020.
An article in the May-June issue of American Scientist examines the toxicity of drugs to find that alcohol is more toxic than many illicit substances that are generally considered more dangerous. The author claims that alcohol has a fatal dose that is only 10 times the effective dose, compared with marijuana or LSD, for which the claimed fatal dose is over 1000 times the effective dose, or MDMA, for which the fatal dose is 16 times the effective dose.
The article explains that the fatal dose becomes lower in cases of closely-spaced uses - for example, taking MDMA several times close together will increase the risk of a fatal dose, because the body has not had enough time to metabolize all of the ecstasy from the previous use. Also, it is difficult to measure the fatal dosage without a controlled study, making it difficult to accurately estimate the amount required for a fatal dose.
Today's CESAR FAX shows an evaluation of DWI screening tests, the first of its kind since 1992. The authors of the study examined 12 screening instruments and recommended the MAC (MacAndrews Alcoholism Scale) and AUI (Alcohol Use Inventory) screening tests, since they were the two most effective at predicting DWI recidivism.
The National Drug and Research Centre of Australia is asking the producers of sweet alcoholic drinks to make them less sweet. The Centre's request comes as a result of underage drinkers affinity for the sweet mixers. Furthermore, the Centre has asked for marketers to restrain from targeting underage drinkers.
March 20th's CESAR Fax reports on statistics that show young females leading the way in initiating drug use. 1.5 million females began using alcohol in 2004, compared with 1.2 million males, and there are similar differences for cigarettes and marijuana usage.
According to a national survey in Britain, a quarter of British secondary school students have drank alcohol in the past week and a fifth have tried drugs in the past year. 10% of the 9000 11-15 year-olds surveyed said that they smoke at least one cigarette each week. The survey shows that drug usage has remained constant in the past five years, despite efforts to fight such abuse, although one government spokesman says that the survey shows decreasing numbers of alcohol users.
The New Zealand legislature lowered the drinking age from 20 to 18 in 1999. A study of statistics found that this change could be responsible for an increase in the number of accidents and injuries among 15-17 year-olds and 18-19 year-olds. 15-17 year-old males saw a 14% increase, while females in the same group experienced a 24% increase. In the 18-19 age group, males had a 12% increase while females saw a 51% increase.
A Dartmouth University study found that middle school students who own alcohol-branded items were more likely to initiate alcohol use than those who did not own such items. The study's sample pool included 2000 10-14 year-old middle school students.
ABC News reported on the growing concern over binge drinking in college-age women. Females have been drinking at levels previously associated only with fraternity members. Women at the University of Wisconsin at Madison reported that they "drink to get drunk, start drinking early in the night to avoid the hassles of police sweeps and ID checks at bars, and play drinking games where it is easy to lose track of how much alcohol they've consumed." There are roughly 1,400 alcohol-related deaths on college campuses each year.
Students at Florida State and the University of Texas have approved Safer Alternatives for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) resolutions that set equal penalties for alcohol and marijuana use and possession on campus. While such resolutions are not necessarily definite policy changes, they do show the schools' administrators how the student body feels about the issue.
Consumers are pushing for a relabeling of alcohol products that will include nutritional information. Additionally, there is an effort to get companies to publish allergen information on these products.
Wisconsin will most likely add alcohol to the state's sexual assault statute as a date rape drug. It is the only state that does not list alcohol as a date rape substance in its sexual assault statute.
A leftover West Virginia law from the prohibition era has been the focus of controversy lately. The law prohibits sale of beer that has a level of alcohol content that surpasses 6%, which essentially makes gourmet and microbrewed beers illegal. A consequence of this law is that residents travel out of state to acquire these specialty beers, and local businesses lose sales and income.
A Boston University study found that alcohol use reduces the frequency with which diabetics monitor their own glucose levels, preventing effective self-treatment. Moderate and heavy drinkers are significantly less likely to monitor their glucose levels daily.
The number of women drinkers has increased drastically in the U.S. and U.K., and the alcohol industry is modifying product lines and advertising to meet the demographic shift. In the two nations, young women have increased alcohol consumption by drinking a third more in 2004 than five years before. Additionally, alcohol advertising has been effective in reaching those too young to drink - by four years. According to a New York Times poll, Budweiser advertisements during the super bowl were voted most popular among 17 year-olds.
The latest (February 6th) CESAR Fax reports that 15.3% of workers were impaired by or under the influence of alcohol in the workplace at least once in the past year. The National Survey of Workplace Health and Safety released data that 9.2% of workers reported being hung over at work, while 7.1% drink during the workday. 70% reported impairment or use on a less than monthly basis.
The City Council of San Marcos in San Diego will decide on a proposal to target underage drinking, marijuana use, and noise violations. The proposal includes penalties for hosts who knowingly provide alcohol to minors, fines for a second visit regarding noise violations, and prohibiting medical marijuana vendors. If approved, the ordinance would go into effect 30 days later.
A new federal analysis shows that in the year 2004, girls aged 12-17 started using different substances at higher rates than boys. Specifically, 17% more girls started drinking; 29% more started smoking cigarettes; and 17% more started smoking marijuana. However, the study leaves unclear the amount of current smokers and drinkers as it only focuses on teens who started in 2004.
The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) reports that hospital visits resulting from underage drinking combined with other drugs are almost twice as likely to lead to inpatient care. Of all drug-related emergency room visits from ages 12-20, 42% involved alcohol. The report also quotes a National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistic that of all 16-20 year-old drivers involved in fatal accidents, almost 25% had been drinking.
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