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 How To Spot Children at Risk For Alcohol Abuse
By Mybrotha.COM Staff Writer - November 2, 2011
(Mybrotha.COM) - African Americans have a long-standing tradition of philanthropy, or giving back to improve the human quality of life. It is rooted in the African concept of family, which formed the basis for social life and social values in Africa.
Though some parents fail to acknowledge the glaring truth about their kids and drinking, many black teens are choosing consume alcohol in staggering numbers, and they're experiencing some of the same grown-up problems many adults face.
But how would you know if a teenager is experimenting with, or indulging in alcohol consumption? How can we better spot a potential problem?
Based on just two questions from a newly released guide, health care professionals could spot children and teenagers at risk for alcohol-related problems. Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner's Guide, is now available from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Underage drinking by black teens is of particular concern when drinking and driving, teen pregnancy and the potential for violence is at stake. When alcohol becomes a part of the mix, a joyride could become a devastating accident. A house party could end with a pregnancy or STD. And a night at an under-21 club could be filled with fist-fights and unnecessary confrontations.
"We know that alcohol is by far the drug of choice among youth," says NIAAA acting director Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D. "Underage drinking is also a marker for other unhealthy behaviors and it often goes undetected. This new tool was designed to allow busy practitioners who manage the health and well-being of children and adolescents to conduct fast, effective alcohol screens and brief interventions."
Research has shown that over the course of adolescence, the proportion of youth who have had more than just a few sips of alcohol increases dramatically, from 7 percent of 12-year-olds to nearly 70 percent of 18-year-olds. Binge drinking is dangerous and common, and increases with age. Underage drinking is associated with many adverse outcomes, ranging from immediate consequences such as academic and social problems, injuries, and death, to longer-term consequences including increased risk for alcohol dependence as well as potentially enduring functional and structural changes in the brain.
Sadly, many African-American parents are aware of their teens' consumption of wine coolers or other fruity alcoholic beverages. These parents fail to respond because of a misguided idea that since it's not "hard liquor," the effects are less likely to cause severe problems. Even more disturbing is a similar notion that alcohol is less destructive than drugs like marijuana, crystal meth, or narcotics. As a result, some parents turn a blind eye to what they perceive as the lesser of the evils.
According to research, alcohol can be just as addictive as drugs, and even more so in many cases. This new guide will can help identify those kids who may be at risk of starting, and those who have already started, but may be on the verge of critical problems.
"Clinicians who care for young people are well aware of the many harms caused by underage drinking," notes Sharon Levy, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Substance Abuse, and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "The guide takes much of the mystery out of intervening with young patients who are drinking, allowing clinicians to proceed within a clinical framework of low, moderate, or high risk. It will enable pediatricians and other clinicians who care for young people to easily incorporate alcohol screening across the care spectrum, from annual visits to urgent care."
To develop the shortest possible screening tool with the strongest evidence for predicting current and future alcohol problems in youth, NIAAA put together a working group of researchers to conduct extensive analyses of underage drinking data. They found that just two questions, one that asks about friends' drinking, and another that asks about personal drinking frequency, had the greatest predictive power. Examples of these questions, which vary slightly for elementary, middle, and high school ages, include:
Friends' drinking: "Do you have any friends who drank beer, wine, or any drink containing alcohol in the past year?"
Personal drinking: "How about you--in the past year, on how many days have you had more than a few sips of beer, wine, or any drink containing alcohol?"
The friends' drinking question is an early warning signal that strongly predicts future drinking levels, while the personal drinking question is the best predictor of current risk for alcohol-related harm in adolescents who are already drinking. These questions can be asked quickly, an extremely important factor for clinicians and their patients.
"People who start drinking before the age of 15 are much more likely to have alcohol problems later in life than those who begin drinking at age 21 or older," adds Pamela S. Hyde, administrator of HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "By helping clinicians identify underage drinking early, this simple and straightforward tool will help young people avoid behaviors that prevent them from achieving their full potential."
At home, parents can ask the same two questions to gauge where their children are in the alcohold discovery process. While many teens realize the detriments of alcohol consumption and steer clear of it, others may be higher risks, and these types of questions may help parents differentiate between the two.
About The Author - Mybrotha.COM Staff Writer
©Copyright 2002-2012 - Mybrotha.COM. This article was written and edited by a Mybrotha.COM staff writer. Articles may not be reproduced, rewritten, or retransmitted without the express written consent of Mybrotha.COM
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