Horizon High Students Speak at the Wisconsin Association of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Conference

Congratulations and thanks go out to several local teenagers who participated in a panel discussion on recovery schools at the Wisconsin Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse conference in Middleton Tuesday, May 11. Amy Sanchez, Connor Johnson and Sam Doctor shared their stories and talked about how recovery schooling has helped them succeed. Their involvement shows real dedication and insight. Way to go!

Unfortunately, involved teenagers like Amy, Connor and Sam, who are able to talk about their experiences with alcohol and drugs, are still the exception to the “Don’t talk, don’t tell” rule. And that, experts agree, should not be the case.

Surveys prove—and anyone who spends time with teenagers will confirm—that usage is not a hot topic of discussion. But recent news points to the importance of bringing up the subject anyway, for the health of your teen. And doctors, it turns out, can play an important role in getting the conversation started if parents are struggling.

Last month a national pediatrics organization issued a policy statement confirming that frank talks between teens and their doctors might prove to be a crucial step in stopping harmful behaviors.

The Committee on Substance Abuse for the American Academy of Pediatrics, based in San Antonio, Texas encourages early screening—starting at the middle school level—to determine potential alcohol abuse. If followed up by helpful discussions on strategies to avoid drinking and how to seek help, this could protect teenagers from permanent brain damage, which could include future organizational, memory and emotional problems.

Dr. Patricia Kokotailo, director of adolescent medicine and associate dean for faculty development and faculty affairs at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, said the policy statement “provides better evidence about how alcohol affects the brains of young people and why it is important to screen children.”

“A remarkable amount of brain development is still occurring for young people through their 20s,” said Dr. Kokotailo, the lead author of the study.

Few teenagers think about the long-term consequences of early alcohol consumption. And while it may not be easy to get the conversation going, enlisting a family doctor to help is a step in the right direction.

Neuroscience that suggests all high schools should be sober high schools!

The Teenage Brain and Alcohol and Other Drugs

Check out this article from the New York Times on alcohol and the developing brain.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/health/04teen.html

Here is a quote

The new findings may help explain why people who begin drinking at an early age face enormous risks of becoming alcoholics. According to the results of a national survey of 43,093 adults, published yesterday in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 47 percent of those who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 14 become alcohol dependent at some time in their lives, compared with 9 percent of those who wait at least until age 21. The correlation holds even when genetic risks for alcoholism are taken into account.

What is so upsetting about this finding is that children are starting to drink at earlier and earlier ages

Here are some statistics on teens and drinking

The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years for boys and 13 years for girls.

By age 14, 41 percent of children have had least one drink.

The average age at which Americans begin drinking regularly is 15.9 years old.

Teens who begin drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21.

An early age of drinking onset is also associated with alcohol-related violence not only among persons under age 21 but among adults as well.

It has been estimated that over three million teenagers are out-and-out alcoholics. Several million more have a serious drinking problem that they cannot manage on their own.

Binge drinking, often beginning around age 13, tends to increase during adolescence, peak in young adulthood (ages 18-22), then gradually decrease. Individuals who increase their binge drinking from age 18 to 24 and those who consistently binge drink at least once a week during this period may have problems attaining the goals typical of the transition from adolescence to young adulthood (e.g., marriage, educational attainment, employment, and financial independence).

These are national statistics. Wisconsin rates number 2 in the nation for underage drinking.

When you read the science one wonders why are we all so complacent?