Teenage Drinking- Handling And Hazards

Because of widespread availability and easy access, a lot of teenagers in the world are becoming addicted to things like cigarettes and alcohol from a young age. Read on to find out more.

The teenage years are an age when kids feel that they are too grown up and they assume the world is their oyster. However, they are too young to understand the hazards and dangers that lie waiting for them and they happily and obliviously walk into their traps.

One of these hazards is considered addiction. They are addicted to a variety of substances, which is readily available to them through their various illicit connections and back alley dealings. They can get alcohol with relative ease, even though it is illegal to sell to individuals below the age of 18 or in some cases 21.

Psychological Effects Of Alcoholism in Teens

Teenagers may take to drinking for a number of reasons- violent and disturbed childhood, alcoholic parents, abusive elders, peers of the wrong kind and influence from the media. Whatever the reason, this ever-increasing trend needs to be curbed because of the following effects, as discovered by our research team-

  • Retarded mental growth in the future years
  • Lack of concentration in relevant things like education
  • Anxiety and stress in future years
  • They might even become violent and engage in more substance abuse as they grow up.

We at www.newspsychology.com have seen during our studies that there are special organizations, as well as psychologists who specialize in taking care of teenagers with an alcohol problem. Most of the time it is seen that they resorts to such misdeeds because of wrong influence of some kind or the other. So it is important to keep them in a healthy environment. This is the first step of the treatment, after which they can progress according to the severity of the condition. 

Alcoholism – A Severe Psychological Disorder

There are several things that people get addicted to over time, and one of the most frequent of them all is drink. Alcoholism is a problem that a surprising number of people all over the world are dealing with.

When you are an alcoholic, you have to deal with a lot of personal and social issues. It is one of the worst kinds of addiction, which has to be curbed when there is still time. Oftentimes, people tend to overlook the mental effects of alcoholism because of the physical disorders which inevitably follow this sort of problems.

However, alcoholism is a state which not only affects the person who is drinking, but also the people in their immediate surroundings. Man is a social animal, and he must behave according to set social norms. However, alcoholism is a barrier between the two, and has to be effectively tackled, in order to live in peace in society.

Effects On The Mind

There is no death of problems which may occur when you are addicted to alcohol. There is a difference between leisure drinking in society parties and dirking a glass of wine during dinner, and drinking hard liquor every day on a daily basis. The latter has severe mental effects-

  • Irrational behavior
  • Violence
  • Irritability
  • Paranoia
  • Lack of concentration
  • Depression
  • Detachment from reality
  • Loss of appetite

Hence, it is amply evident that all the major psychological problems that psychologists have to deal with on a regular basis, is usually induced because of addiction to alcohol. Although there are several ways to get rid of one’s addiction to liquor, it is their own will power which does the majority of the work, and helps them to pick them up from the shambles of their life, which alcohol leads them to in the first place. Our research work at this website will help you immensely. 

Teen Drinking: Long-Lasting Genetic Changes

“This may be the mechanism through which adolescent binge-drinking increases the risk for psychiatric disorders, including alcoholism, in adulthood,” says lead author Subhash Pandey, professor of psychiatry and director of neuroscience alcoholism research at UIC.
 
Pandey and his colleagues used experimental rats to investigate the effects of intermittent alcohol exposure during the adolescent stage of development. On-and-off exposure to alcohol during adolescence altered the activity of genes needed for normal brain maturation, said Pandey, who is also a research career scientist at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. The gene alterations "increased anxiety-like behaviors and preference for alcohol in adulthood,” he said.
 
The behavioral effects, he said, were due to "epigenetic" changes — "which previous research has shown can be influenced through environmental substances, including alcohol." Epigenetic changes can be long-lasting or permanent in an individual. Previous studies have shown that some epigenetic changes can be heritable. Epigenetic changes are chemical modifications of the DNA or of the proteins around which DNA is wound, like thread on a spool. Modification of these proteins, called histones, can change how loosely or tightly the DNA is wound. Genes that lie within DNA that is tightly wrapped around the histones are less active than they are if the DNA is loosely wrapped. The looser the DNA is coiled, the more accessible are the genes to the cellular machinery that "expresses" them. Epigenetic changes regulate many processes, including brain development and maturation during adolescence. Changes to the histones expose the genes needed to form new synaptic connections, or to prune unneeded neurons.
 
To model adolescent binge-drinking in humans, the researchers gave 28-day-old rats alcohol for two days in a row, followed by two days off, and repeated this pattern for 13 days. Some rats were followed into adulthood and observed for abnormal behaviors. They were offered both alcohol and water, and their alcohol-drinking behavior was monitored.
Rats exposed to alcohol during adolescence exhibited changes in behavior that lasted into adulthood, long after exposure to alcohol ended. They showed increased anxiety-like behaviors and drank more alcohol in adulthood. 
 
When the researchers analyzed tissue from a part of the brain called the amygdala, they found in the exposed rats that the DNA and histones appeared to be tightly wrapped. They also found increased levels of a protein called HDAC2, which modifies histones in a way that causes DNA to be wound tighter around them. These epigenetic changes in turn were linked to lowered expression of a gene that nerve cells need in order to form new synaptic connections. Pandey believes the lowered activity of this gene may be due to the tighter winding of its DNA. The diminished expression of the gene persisted in adulthood, even if alcohol exposure was stopped weeks before. The researchers observed diminished nerve connectivity in the amygdalae of these affected adult rats.
 
“Our study provides a mechanism for how binge-drinking during adolescence may lead to lasting [epigenetic] changes … that result in increased anxiety and alcoholism in adults,” Pandey said. Intermittent alcohol exposure "degrades the ability of the brain to form the connections it needs to during adolescence.”
 
“The brain doesn’t develop as it should, and there are lasting behavioral changes associated with this.” But a pharmacological experiment hinted at the possibility of a treatment. When adult rats that had been exposed to alcohol during adolescence were given a cancer drug known to block the activity of HDAC2, the drug restored expression of the gene needed for synapse formation. The DNA was observed to be less tightly coiled, as expected. Most importantly, the rats exhibited less anxiety and reduced alcohol intake.
“We aren’t sure if the drug needs to be given long term during adulthood in order to completely reverse the harmful effects of adolescent alcohol exposure,” Pandey said. Further experiments with this and other epigenetic drugs are planned. Amul Sakharkar, Lei Tang and Huaibo Zhang of the UIC College of Medicine are co-authors on the paper.
 
The research was funded by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism grants AA-01997 (Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Project), AA-010005 and AA-013341, Department of Veterans Affairs Merit Review Grant I01BX000143, and by a Research Career Scientist Award to Subhash Pandey.
 

Story Source
  1. The above story is based on materials provided by University of Illinois at Chicago. The original article was written by Sharon Parmet. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference
  1. Subhash C. Pandey, Amul J. Sakharkar Lei Tang Huaibo Zhang. Potential role of adolescent alcohol exposure-induced amygdaloid histone modifications in anxiety and alcohol intake during adulthood. Neurobiology of Disease, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2015.03.019

The psychological benefits of alcohol consumption

The relaxed feeling you can get when you have that first drink is due to the chemical changes alcohol has caused in your brain. For many of us, a drink can help us feel more confident and less anxious. That’s because it’s starting to depress the part of the brain we associate with inhibition.

Researchers at the University of California have discovered that drinking a glass of red wine with dinner boosts the immune system.  Your immune system is located in your gut.  Alcohol may control bad bacteria in your gut which can affect your immune system. And since depression anxiety is an immuno-inflammatory condition, anything that boosts your immune system, will help your depression anxiety recovery.

Finally, if you already drink alcohol or plan to begin, keep it moderate—no more than two drinks a day for men or one drink a day for women and make sure you get plenty of folate, at least 600 micrograms a day. If you don’t drink, there’s no need to start.

Young people who go out drinking start earlier and consume more alcohol

Teenagers and university students are unaware of the negative consequences of alcohol consumption or the chances of developing an addiction as a result. In addition, they start at a younger and younger age and drink more and stronger alcohol according to a study headed by the University of Valencia.
 

Current drinking trends amongst Spanish youth are characterised by what is known as botellón or drinking in the streets. Researchers at Valencia's universities, Miguel Hernández de Elche and Jaume I de Castellón, have conducted a study funded by the Spanish National Drugs Plan identifying the different types of alcohol consumers and defining the profiles of each. It has been published in the 'The Spanish Journal of Psychology'.

"The general tendency is to think that university students drink more alcohol than teenagers as they are older and can access it more easily. But this is not true. Males in secondary school and university drink the same amount of alcohol while practicing botellón. The same is the case for females," as explained by Begoña Espejo Tort, lead researcher of the study at the University of Valencia.

The scientists gathered data from 6009 youngsters between the ages of 14 and 25 from 2007 to 2009 in three Spanish cities (Valencia, Castellón and Alicante). For the study they selected those who reported episodes of intensive alcohol consumption.

According to results, males drink more and aim to get drunk yet they associate their alcohol intake with the possibility of developing an addiction to a lesser extent than females.

"We have observed that university students progressed to drink more alcohol. When they were adolescents they drank less alcohol and then more when reaching university. Nonetheless, today's adolescents drink the same amount as university students," outlines Espejo.

 

What will happen to these adolescents in a few years?

If intake levels for secondary school and university students of the same sex are similar, this means that when secondary school students reach the age of 20, the consequences will be much greater than those seen amongst current university students. The expert highlights that this will have negative repercussions "on their studies, their work, and personal relationships and their finances."

"Nearly all adolescents who consumed alcohol started at around 13 or 14 years of age by drinking distilled alcohol (drinks with high alcohol content) in large quantities. On the other hand, university students started between 14 and 15 with fermented drinks like beer in relatively low quantities," confirms the expert.

Furthermore, adolescents allude to personal aspects to justify their alcohol intake whereas university students link their drinking to control of leisure.

That said, the main reason for alcohol consumption in both groups is to have fun. Espejo explains that "drinking is the objective. Only university students mention financial reasons. Almost 70% of students refer to financial reasons for practicing botellón compared to 20% of adolescents.

 

The consequences are not understood

As for the consequences associated with alcohol consumption, neither youngsters nor university students are aware of the consequences. The same can be said for those who drink a lot or those who drink less. They only take into consideration those consequences that repeatedly appear in television campaigns, like those relating to drink driving and personal relationship problems due to aggression. They are also only aware of the immediate physical consequences like vomiting, dizziness, falling over and hangovers, etc.

In general, youngsters feel that their alcohol consumption will have no negative consequences. They believe that for this to occur they would have to greatly increase their alcohol consumption. This, however, does not imply that the problem does not already exist but rather that it is not recognised," concludes the researcher.

The authors of the study warn of the need to take action amongst these groups to reduce and change alcohol consumption. In the case of the youngest, who refer to confidence reasons when justifying why they drink alcohol, campaigns on self-esteem and interpersonal relationship management should be reinforced. For university students, education on leisure habits is the key.

 

Journal Reference:

  1. Begoña Espejo, María Teresa Cortés, Beatriz Martín del Río, José Antonio Giménez, Consolación Gómez. Traits that Define the Different Alcohol Intensive Consume Type during the Practice of “Botellon”. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 2012; 15 (1) DOI: 10.5209/rev_SJOP.2012.v15.n1.37318

Relationship between marriage and alcohol examined

— New research examining relationships and the use of alcohol finds that while a long-term marriage appears to curb men's drinking, it's associated with a slightly higher level of alcohol use among women. The study, led by the University of Cincinnati (UC), was presented at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.

Based on survey data and interviews, the authors revealed that married men reported consuming the lowest number of drinks, compared with single, divorced, and widowed men. That's in part because of their wives' lower levels of drinking, write the authors. Men also were more likely than women to turn to drinking after a divorce.

On the other hand, the researchers found that married women consumed more drinks than long-term divorced or recently widowed women, in part because they lived with men who had higher levels of alcohol use.

The authors of the study are Corinne Reczek, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati; Tetyana Pudrovska, an assistant professor of sociology and demography at The Pennsylvania State University; Deborah Carr, a professor of sociology at Rutgers University; and Debra Umberson, a professor of sociology at University of Texas at Austin.

The researchers analyzed survey data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study to explore population trends in the relationship between marriage and alcohol. They also analyzed data from two in-depth interview studies, the Marital Quality Over the Life Course Project, conducted between 2003-2006, and the Relationships and Health Habits Over the Life Course Study, conducted between 2007-2010.

The researchers also found that:

• In each marital status category, men consumed a greater average number of drinks than women.

• Across every marital status category, a higher proportion of men than women also reported having at least one drinking-related problem.

• Recently divorced men reported consuming a significantly greater average number of drinks than men in long-term marriages.

• Reporting at least one drinking-related problem was significantly higher among long-term divorced and recently divorced women than long-term married women.

The researchers gauged alcohol consumption by total number of drinks consumed in a month.

The researchers suggest that future research should examine more closely how widowhood shapes alcohol use over time, as well as explore alcohol use differences across race-ethnicity.

The study was supported by funding in part from the National Institutes of Aging.

About the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS)

The WLS is a long-term survey of 10,317 men and women who graduated high school in 1957. Respondents were interviewed during their senior year in high school, as well as at age 35-36 (in 1975), 53-54 (in 1993) and 64-65 (2004). The UC study was based on the analysis of 5,305 respondents, including 2,439 men and 2,866 women — participants in a random sample of the WLS that received questions about alcohol use. The respondents were primarily white.

The Martial Quality Over the Life Course Project

The Martial Quality Over the Life Course Project involved 60 in-depth interviews conducted between 2003-2006, with 30 heterosexual couples who had been married for at least seven years. Spouses were interviewed separately. The UC study examined responses to open-ended questions exploring how the transition into marriage, as well as being married, influenced both spouses' alcohol use. The average age of respondents was 53 years, and their average marriage duration was 25 years. Respondents were white (52), African-American (six), Asian-American (one), and Latina (one). Interviews were conducted in a mid-size southwestern city.

The Relationships and Health Habits Over the Life Course Study

The Relationships and Health Habits Over the Life Course Study involved 60 in-depth interviews conducted between 2007-2010. The UC study analyzed responses from 10 married men and nine married women; 14 divorced men and 13 divorced women; four never-married men and six never-married women; one widowed man and three widowed women. The UC study examined responses related to alcohol use in the transition to marriage, divorce or widowhood — as well as how being married, divorced, or widowed influenced alcohol use over time. Half of the respondents were African-American and half were white. Their ages ranged from 25-89, with an average age of 53. Interviews were conducted in a mid-size southwestern city.

The paper, "Marital Status, Marital Transitions, and Alcohol Use: A Mixed-Methods Study," was presented on Aug. 19 in Denver, Colorado, at the American Sociological Association's 107th Annual Meeting.

Binge drinking college students are happier than their non-binge drinking peers, study suggests

Why do some colleges have persistently high levels of binge drinking? It may be because, at these schools, binge drinking is associated with high status and binge drinkers are happier with their college social experience than their non-binge drinking peers, suggests new research presented at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in Denver, Colorado.

"Binge drinking is a symbolic proxy for high status in college," said Carolyn L. Hsu, co-author of the study and an associate professor of sociology at Colgate University. "It's what the most powerful, wealthy, and happy students on campus do. This may explain why it's such a desirable activity. When lower status students binge drink, they may be trying to tap into the benefits and the social satisfaction that those kids from high status groups enjoy. And, our findings seem to indicate that, to some extent, they succeed."

According to the study, students from higher status groups (i.e., wealthy, male, white, heterosexual, and Greek affiliated undergraduates) were consistently happier with their college social experience than their peers from lower status groups (i.e., less wealthy; female; non-white; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ); and non-Greek affiliated undergraduates).

In addition, students from higher status groups were more likely than their peers from lower status groups to binge drink. "Students, who are considered more socially powerful, drink more," said Hsu, who co-authored the study with Landon Reid, a former faculty member at Colgate who is now attending law school at NYU. "Binge drinking then becomes associated with high status and the 'cool' students on campus."

However, the study found that when students from lower status groups engaged in binge drinking, their social satisfaction was higher than that of their non-binge drinking peers from lower status groups and more similar to the levels of their higher status classmates, including binge drinkers and non-binge drinkers. Hsu said binge drinking tended to attenuate the negative effects of being from a low status group on students' college social experience.

Conversely, white, wealthy, Greek affiliated, heterosexual, and male students who did not binge drink, were less happy with their social lives than students from those groups that did binge drink.

"Among all groups, we found that binge drinking and social satisfaction were strongly connected," Hsu said.

The study relied on a survey of nearly 1,600 undergraduates attending a selective Northeastern residential liberal arts college in 2009.

"Drinking culture is campus specific," Hsu said. "But, our results suggest that binge drinking and social satisfaction may also be very much associated at similar predominately white colleges with high binge drinking rates, a large Greek presence, and a residential campus."

Binge drinking is defined as consuming at least four drinks for women and five drinks for men in a single drinking session. Binge drinkers have this kind of drinking session at least once every 14 days on average. In this study, the average binge drinker drank 13.7 drinks per week, while the average non-binge drinker consumed 4.2 drinks per week. The authors assessed social satisfaction using survey questions that asked students to evaluate their overall social experience on campus.

Additionally, the authors categorized high status groups and low status groups based on previous literature regarding low graduation rates, peer discrimination, and hostile campus environments.

For example, according to the authors, LGBTQ students commonly found their campuses to be unwelcoming; women, who often enjoy more collegiate academic success than men, were more likely than their male peers to experience prejudice and sexual harassment outside of the classroom; and minority students, particularly at predominately white schools, tended to have lower graduation rates and faced increased incidents of discrimination on campus.

The authors found that while binge drinking increased social satisfaction for students from a range of lower status groups, the positive effects of binge drinking on social satisfaction were particularly strong for low income, non-Greek affiliated, and female students. LGBTQ and minority binge drinking students enjoyed increased social satisfaction in college, but were not as socially satisfied as their binge drinking peers from higher and other lower status groups.

"Minority students and members of the LGBTQ community, more than other low status students, often face discrimination and struggle with their sense of belonging on predominately white, heterosexual campuses," Hsu said. "This may be lessening the potential ameliorating impact of binge drinking on low status."

Nevertheless, the authors found that across race, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, and Greek or non-Greek affiliation, the connection between binge drinking and satisfaction with the college social experience, remained consistent. "Students in all groups consistently liked college more when they participated in the campuses' binge drinking culture," Hsu said.

Students were motivated to binge drink as a way of fitting in, according to Hsu. In the open comments part of the survey, many students wrote that they did not want to binge drink, but felt that it was the only socially acceptable thing to do for fun.

Interestingly, the researchers did not find evidence that unhappy students were binge drinking to self medicate. Instead, the students in the sample with the most stress, anxiety, and experiences with discrimination or sexual abuse, were the least likely to drink. "It's the kids who say everything is great who drink the most," Hsu said.

The authors found that students saw binge drinking as a logical means to adapt, survive, and seek out the most favorable life while in college. "Low status students in particular seem to be using binge drinking as a vehicle for social mobility and as a way to contend with an otherwise hostile social environment," Hsu said.

According to the authors, despite binge drinking's potential positive social effects, binge drinking students were not exempt from the negative interpersonal and health outcomes associated with heavy alcohol consumption.

"It's not that binge drinking is the solution to complex social problems," Hsu said. "Rather, it is our hope that when universities and public health professionals design alcohol related programs for students, they take into account the full range and important social motivations underlying student binge drinking."

Graduated driving laws reduce teen drunk driving

State laws that limit driving privileges for teens have reduced the incidence of drinking and driving among the nation's youngest licensees, according to a new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The vast majority of states now have laws that limit teen driving privileges and impose stiff penalties for driving under the influence. Graduated driving licensing laws limit the number of passengers young drivers may transport and how late at night they're allowed to drive, among other restrictions.

The researchers evaluated the effects of those laws on alcohol use and risky driving behaviors among teens in 45 states. The study is now available online and will be published September 2012 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

"Teens in states with the strongest laws were less likely to drive after drinking or to ride in a car with a driver who had been drinking," says first author Patricia A. Cavazos-Rehg, PhD, research assistant professor of psychiatry. "In states with the toughest laws, teens were half as likely to engage in those risky behaviors."

Teens comprise less than 5 percent of licensed drivers in the country, but they account for roughly 20 percent of motor vehicle crashes.

"In the last decade, most states have strengthened their graduated licensing laws," Cavazos-Rehg explains. "States are learning that a benefit of enacting more restrictive laws is a reduction in risky behavior by young drivers. That can lead to fewer accidents and save lives."

Earlier research has demonstrated that graduated driving laws reduce both fatal and non-fatal motor vehicle accidents among teens. Other studies have found that states with more restrictive licensing laws also had experienced 30 percent reductions in fatal crashes involving teen drivers.

"We were interested in determining whether these laws were making it less likely for teens to engage in drinking and driving behaviors," Cavazos-Rehg says.

The researchers gathered drinking and driving information from more than 220,000 16-17-year olds who were surveyed between 1999 and 2009, when state laws that restrict teen driving were strengthened.

They then compared the anonymous surveys with state laws and found that teens living in states with the strictest laws also were least likely to drink and drive or to ride in a car with a driver who had been drinking.

Cavazos-Rehg can't say precisely what is causing the decrease in risky drinking and driving behaviors, but she believes nighttime restrictions that limit how late a young driver can be behind the wheel may be key.

"That's getting teens to go home earlier, which means they may not have the opportunity to go to parties where there are opportunities to drink," she says. "We haven't looked at that closely yet, but that's the next step."

The other aspects that may influence teens' behavior include stiff penalties, like suspension of a driver's license, for violations, Cavazos-Rehg says. Many laws also require more experience and education behind the wheel before a license is granted than was required in past years. And in most states that have enacted these laws, teens don't receive full driving privileges until they are 18 or even older.


Journal Reference:

  1. Patricia A. Cavazos-Rehg, Melissa J. Krauss, Edward L. Spitznagel, Frank J. Chaloupka, Mario Schootman, Richard A. Grucza, Laura Jean Bierut. Associations Between Selected State Laws and Teenagers' Drinking and Driving Behaviors. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2012; DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01764.x
 

Off-campus college party hosts drink more than attendees, research suggests

On any given weekend, at least 10 percent of students at a single college could be hosting a party, and on average, party hosts who live off campus are drinking more and engaging in more alcohol-related problem behaviors than are the students attending their bashes, research suggests.

In contrast, hosts of parties held on campus tend to drink less than do the students attending their gatherings, according to the study.

The research also suggests that college party hosts are more likely than the students attending parties to be male, living off campus, members of a Greek organization and in their second year or higher of college, and have more money to spend each month than other students.

The results come from an online survey of 3,796 students over the course of two academic years.

The findings could guide efforts by university personnel to curb excessive drinking at college parties, researchers say.

"Party hosts set the context for the attendees. They decide what kind of drinks are going to be there and how many people are going to attend," said Cynthia Buettner, assistant professor of human development and family science at Ohio State University and lead author of the study. "So if you could get people to think about hosting a party in a particular way, you could reduce the risks for the people who attend."

The study is published in a recent issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Buettner used data from a larger study of campus drinking behavior to zero in on the activities of party hosts. To her knowledge, hers is the first study to examine how the behavior of party hosts differs from that of the students who attend college gatherings.

"It's all in the name of intervention. The more information you have, the better able you are to target prevention efforts," Buettner said.

The researchers contacted a random sample of registered students by e-mail, asking them to report on their alcohol use during eight different weekends from 2005 to 2007. If they reported in the online survey that they had attended or hosted a party, they were eligible for this study.

Of the 3,796 participants, 433 — or more than 12 percent — had hosted weekend parties. "It's not a small group," Buettner said. "That finding alone surprised us."

About 80 percent of the parties reported in the survey had been held at off-campus locations. The average number of guests at parties attended by survey respondents ranged from 25 to 60.

Off-campus party hosts consumed an average of almost nine drinks, compared to the 7 ½ drinks consumed by party guests. On campus, the trend was reversed: Party hosts reported drinking an average of about 4 ½ drinks, compared to the 7 ½ drinks consumed by attendees. The total range of drinks consumed spanned from zero to 30, according to the survey.

Off-campus party hosts were more likely to participate in problem behaviors associated with drinking than were attendees at any party and on-campus party hosts. These included verbal arguments, public urination, flashing or mooning, vandalism to the party location or to nearby property, rioting, physically fighting, driving after drinking and riding with someone who had been drinking.

On the other hand, hosts of parties held on campus were less likely than party attendees at either type of location to observe risky drinking and related consequences. These behaviors included heavy drinking, underage drinking, unwanted sexual advances, verbal arguments, physical assault, public urination, flashing or mooning, vandalism or spontaneous rioting.

Though the questionnaires weren't designed to pursue more details about these outcomes, the researchers said the finding that hosts of on-campus parties drink less than their guests is probably associated with the risks of getting in trouble with the university.

"It's logical to think that off-campus party hosts would be more likely to drink a lot. They know they're not going to drive, they're home and they probably started before everyone arrived. Our theory is that on-campus party hosts may be worried about potential sanctions," Buettner said.

The findings could be used to influence intervention efforts on college campuses, the researchers say. For example, beyond advising students to "party smart," potential off-campus party hosts could be informed of their increased risk for heavy drinking.

"I'd be willing to bet, though we wouldn't know until we did the research, that there is a group of students who tend to be the host over and over again. This gives you a group of students for whom a very particular type of intervention would be helpful," Buettner said.

This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Co-authors were Atika Khurana and Natasha Slesnick, also of Ohio State's Department of Human Development and Family Science.


Journal Reference:

  1. Cynthia K. Buettner, Atika Khurana, Natasha Slesnick. Drinking at college parties: Examining the influence of student host-status and party-location. Addictive Behaviors, 2011; 36 (12): 1365 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2011.08.002

High fizzy soft drink consumption linked to violence among teens

Teens who drink more than five cans of non-diet, fizzy soft drinks every week are significantly more likely to behave aggressively, suggests research published online in Injury Prevention. This includes carrying a weapon and perpetrating violence against peers and siblings.

US lawyers have successfully argued in the past that a defendant accused of murder had diminished capacity as a result of switching to a junk food diet, a legal precedent that subsequently became known as the "Twinkie Defense" — a twinkie being a packaged snack cake with a creamy filling.

The researchers base their findings on 1,878 teens from 22 public schools in Boston, Massachusetts. The teens were part of the Boston Youth Survey, a biennial survey of 9th to 12th graders (14 to 18 year olds).

The teens were asked how many carbonated non-diet soft drinks they had drunk over the past seven days. Intake was measured in cans (355 ml or 12 ounces), and responses categorised according to quantity.

The responses were divided into two groups: those drinking up to four cans over the preceding week (low consumption); and those drinking five or more (high consumption). Just under one in three (30%) respondents fell into the high consumption category.

The researchers then looked at potential links to violent behaviour in this group, by asking if they had been violent towards their peers, a sibling, or a partner, and if they had carried a gun or knife over the past year.

Responses were assessed in the light of factors likely to influence the results, including age and gender, alcohol consumption, and average amount of sleep on a school night.

Those who drank 5 or more cans of soft drinks every week were significantly more likely to have drunk alcohol and smoked at least once in the previous month.

But even after controlling for these and other factors, heavy use of carbonated non-diet soft drinks was significantly associated with carrying a gun or knife, and violence towards peers, family members and partners.

When the findings were divided into four categories of consumption, the results showed a clear dose-response relationship across all four measures.

Just over 23% of those drinking one or no cans of soft drink a week carried a gun/knife, rising to just under 43% among those drinking 14 or more cans. The proportions of those perpetrating violence towards a partner rose from 15% in those drinking one or no cans a week to just short of 27% among those drinking 14 or more.

Similarly, violence towards peers rose from 35% to more than 58%, while violence towards siblings rose from 25.4% to over 43%.

In all, for those teens who were heavy consumers of non-diet carbonated soft drinks, the probability of aggressive behaviour was 9 to 15 percentage points higher — the same magnitude as the impact of alcohol or tobacco — the findings showed. "There may be a direct cause-and-effect-relationship, perhaps due to the sugar or caffeine content of soft drinks, or there may be other factors, unaccounted for in our analyses, that cause both high soft drink consumption and aggression," conclude the authors.


Journal Reference:

  1. Sara J Solnick, David Hemenway. The 'Twinkie Defense': the relationship between carbonated non-diet soft drinks and violence perpetration among Boston high school students. Injury Prevention, 2011; DOI: 10.1136/injuryprev-20011-040117