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April is Alcohol Awareness Month
By Shauna Brittell, CHES
Community Health Educator
April has been declared National Alcohol Awareness Month, focusing on one of today’s most critical public health issues in America. Alcohol is the number one drug of choice for children and adolescents, and its use is increasing. Youth consume alcohol more frequently and more heavily than all other illicit drugs combined. Each day, more than 7,000 kids in the United States under the age of 16 take their first drink. Alcohol is contributed to an estimated 1,400 student deaths, 500,000 injuries, and 70,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape each year on college campuses across the nation, according to a report issued by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Alcohol, a depressant, impairs a person’s judgment, coordination, vision, and reaction. Research has shown that even small amounts of alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs affect a person’s vision, coordination, and reaction time. Alcohol affects each individual differently, depending on what food has been consumed, mood, metabolism, level of fatigue, gender, and other factors. A 12oz can of beer, a 5oz glass of wine, and a 1.5oz shot of liquor all contain the same amount of alcohol and are all considered to be a standard drink.
The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the amount of alcohol in a person’s body. Alcohol is absorbed directly through the walls of the stomach and the small intestine, goes into the bloodstream, and travels throughout the body and to the brain. It is quickly absorbed and can be measured within 30 to 70 minutes after a person has had a drink. On average, it takes 2 to 3 hours for a single drink to leave the body’s system. Drinking coffee, taking a cold shower, or “walking it off” will not speed up this process.
In every state across the country, the legal drinking age is 21 and a person is considered legally impaired when he/she has a BAC of .08 or higher. Vermont has a Zero Tolerance Law for youth under the age of 21. A BAC of as little as .02 means you are breaking the law if you are under 21. For most people, .02 is as little as one beer, one glass of wine, or one mixed drink. For some it is even less. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 20,000 lives have been saved since 1975 by changing the drinking age to 21.
National surveys show that young people begin drinking, on average, at the age of 13. Use of alcohol at an early age is associated with the leading causes of death and injury among teenagers and young adults, as well as being an indicator of future alcohol or drug problems. Teenagers who begin drinking before the age of 13 are almost five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 20 or later. In the United States, approximately 9.7 million current drinkers are between the ages of 12 and 20.
According to surveys conducted in 2003 with Vermont youth (8th-12th grade), 70% reported that alcohol is easy to obtain. 61% obtained alcohol from someone who gave or purchased it for them. At least 16% obtained alcohol from their own home.
Youth drinking is associated with many problem behaviors such as other drug use, physical fighting, theft, skipping school, and involvement with law enforcement authorities. Alcohol use among youth is also linked with drowning, suicide, and homicide. Teenagers who use alcohol are more likely to become sexually active at an earlier age, to have sexual intercourse more often, and to have unprotected sex than teens who do not drink. In Vermont alone, the annual costs associated with youth alcohol use have been estimated at nearly $65 million dollars.
Impaired driving is one of America’s deadliest problems and a major cause of death among teens. Every 30 minutes, nearly 50 times a day, someone in America dies in an alcohol-related crash. More than 17,000 people are killed and hundreds of thousands more are injured each year in the United States due to alcohol-related crashes.
Research clearly indicates that in addition to parents and peers, alcohol advertising and marketing have significant impact on youth decisions to drink. A study of 12 year olds found that children who were more aware of beer advertising held more favorable views of drinking and expressed an intention to drink more often as adults than did children who were less knowledgeable about the ads. A total of $1.9 billion was spent on alcohol advertising in media, including television, radio, print, outdoor, major newspapers and Sunday supplements in 2002. A typical American teenager will view 100,000 beer commercials before he or she turns 18.
During the month of April, local activities will be held to bring awareness to youth and the community about alcohol use. Alcohol use not only impacts the individual, it impacts their family and community. Parents play an important role in the prevention of youth alcohol use. Simply talking to your teen about alcohol use, buckling up, and never driving impaired is the first step parents should take.
For more information on alcohol use, contact the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence at www.ncadd.org or the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at www.niaaa.nih.gov. For more information about impaired driving, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at www.nhtsa.dot.gov. For local information, contact North Country Hospital’s Community Health office at 334-3290.
“HEALTHY YOU” is a weekly column prepared by health care providers and staff at North Country Hospital and Health System. Please call Winnie Jones, RN, Employee Health Nurse, 334-3263, for information or to suggest a topic for this column.
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