American Academy of Pediatrics Releases Policy Statement on Teen Drinking

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement underscoring the critical role that pediatricians play in discouraging children and teens from drinking alcohol. The policy statement, titled "Alcohol Use by Youth and Adolescents: A Pediatric Concern," will appear in the May issue of Pediatrics.

Alcohol consumption can interfere with adolescent brain development, and use of alcohol early in life is associated with future alcohol-related problems, because it:

• Contributes to the leading causes of teen deaths: accidental injury (particularly car accidents), homicide and suicide

• Increases greatly the chances teens will engage in other risky actions such as substance use, unsafe sex and violent behavior

• Increases the likelihood of dangerous binge drinking, compared to alcohol use among adults; and

• Affects developing brains and general health, including possibly harming liver function and ability to fight infections

“The younger people are when they start drinking, the more likely they are to have significant alcohol problems in their lifetime, including abuse and addiction,” says pediatrician Janet Williams, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, and chairwoman of the Academy's committee on substance abuse.

The new policy statement from the AAP, describes risk factors that contribute to youth alcohol use, including having friends who use alcohol, tobacco, or other substances, patterns of use in communities in which alcohol and other drugs are less expensive and easily attainable and exposure to alcohol advertising.

The authors recommend additional research into the prevention, screening and identification, brief intervention and management, and treatment of alcohol and other substance use by adolescents, as it continues to be needed to improve evidence-based practices.