1. Preventing Alcohol Abuse Among Adolescent Girls
Peter D. Rogers, MD, MPH

2. Underage alcohol use is more likely to kill young people than all illegal drugs combined.
Alcohol Alert
April, 2003

3. Every day approximately 7,000 young people under 16 years take their first drink of alcohol.
Underage Drinking in the United States: A Status Report
Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth
2005

4. Each year more than 4,000 young people under the age of 21 years die as a result of alcohol abuse.
CDC-MMWR :

8. In 2004, NIAAA launched its Underage Drinking Research Initiative and the data from this are in publication.

9. “The highest prevalence of alcohol dependence in the U. S
“The highest prevalence of alcohol dependence in the U.S. population occurs in youth/young adults ages years.”*
*Underage Drinking Research Initiate. NIAAA 2007

10. “Binge Drinking” Girls – 4 or more drinks in less than 2 hrs
Boys – 5 or more drinks in less than 2 hrs
-Both lead to a BAC of at least .08 mg/ml if consumed on an empty stomach within 3 hours of consumption.
Underage Drinking Research Initiate. NIAAA 2007

11. Prevalence of HS Students (by gender) who binge drink in the past 2 weeks (%) – 2006 Data*
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
Male
10.5% 23 29
Female
10% 21
21.5
*Monitoring the Future NIDA, 2006

13. “Alcopops” are particularly attractive to girls and are most popular among girls in all grades.*
*Monitoring the Future – NIDA, 2006

14. ALCOPOPS Percent by gender who have had Alcopops in past month.
2006
Boys
Girls
8th Grade
11.4 14
10th Grade 20 26
12th Grade
28.5 33

15. WHAT
CAN
PARENTS
DO?

16. Safe
Secure
Loved
Wanted
Need to be encouraged (kids don’t need critics, they need good role models.)
Eat dinner together
Family rules about alcohol use
What do parents model at home
Need a “rescue plan.”

17. Very few kids have any non-chemical coping skills.

18. Alcohol (and marijuana) are excellent emotional anesthetics.

19. Adverse childhood events:
Parental divorce
Emotional, physical, sexual abuse
Violence in home
Parent abuse of alcohol

20. Parents are the first and most important buffer against their kids using alcohol.

21. Good News!
Most kids don’t develop a substance abuse problem.