Alcohol

College students who post references to getting drunk, blacking out, or other aspects of dangerous drinking on social networking sites are more likely to have clinically significant alcohol problems than students who do not post such references, according to a study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Adults drank too much and got behind the wheel about 112 million times in 2010—that is almost 300,000 incidents of drinking and driving each day—according to a CDC Vital Signs study released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A new publication, “Strategizer 55—Regulating Alcohol Outlet Density: An Action Guide,” outlines available evidence-based community prevention strategies shown to decrease the consequences associated with alcohol outlet density, the concentration of bars, restaurants serving alcohol, liquor and package stores in a given geographic area.

About 70 percent of U.S. high school students don't get enough sleep on school nights and this is linked to health-risk behaviors, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When a lead character on the Disney Channel’s newest and one of the most popular TV sitcoms among 6-14 year olds featured a parody of “the most interesting man in the world” Dos Equis beer ad, something about that did not sit right with coalition leader Maureen Campanie.

Compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five to seven per week), those who have infrequent family dinners (fewer than three per week) are almost four times likelier to use tobacco; more than twice as likely to use alcohol; two-and-a-half times likelier to use marijuana; and almost four times likelier to say they expect to try drugs in the future, according to The Importance of Family Dinners VII, a new report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia).

A new study by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that youth ages 12-20 were more likely per capita than adults to hear 32 percent of alcohol advertising placements.

Violent crime could be reduced significantly if policymakers at the local level limit the number of neighborhood liquor stores and ban the sale of single-serve containers of alcoholic beverages, according to separate studies led by University of California, Riverside researchers.

At 9:09 a.m. Sept. 9, 1999, the first international Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Awareness Day was observed. The date and time were chosen to mark the ninth minute of the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month, which serves as a reminder that FAS, like all Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), is completely preventable if a woman does not consume alcohol during the nine months of pregnancy. Yet, alcohol-exposed pregnancies continue to be a leading cause of birth defects and mental retardation in the United States, and children with an FASD often go unrecognized or are misdiagnosed, even as adults.

While the popular tourist destination of Wildwood, N.J. is known for its beaches and fun, carnival-like atmosphere, locals say this party-like scene can create a number of alcohol-related problems. Thankfully, the Cape Assist coalition is there to help prevent and reduce these types of problems.

FY 2012 funding for the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) program is in jeopardy, as both the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Subcommittee on Appropriations in the House, as well as the full House Appropriations Committee, have voted to eliminate funding for the program. The Senate CJS Subcommittee on Appropriations has not yet marked up its version of the bill, however, which means there is still time to influence their decision. That’s why CADCA issued a Legislative Alert to the field encouraging coalition leaders to contact their Senators to urge them to adequately fund the EUDL program in FY 2012. If you haven’t already, please act on this as soon as possible.

This week, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University released the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI: Teens and Parents. This year’s survey reveals that teens who regularly use social networking sites are at increased risk of smoking, drinking and using drugs. The survey finds that compared to teens who in a typical day do not spend any time on a social networking site, those who do are five times likelier to use tobacco, three times likelier to use alcohol, and twice as likely to use marijuana.