Alcohol Abuse: Can Underage Drinking be Curbed?
Americans are abusing alcohol less than in the past with one
exception: college students, who drink more and binge drink more often than
nonstudents of similar age. And alcohol continues to extract a high toll from
those who abuse it at any age, killing 80,000 Americans a year and draining more
than $220 billion from the economy. Although high school students drink and
binge less, bingeing accounts for 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by teens
who drink. Health experts also worry about the effects of new products,
especially flavored alcoholic drinks, which seem to encourage young women and
girls to drink and drink more. To combat alcohol abuse, many educational
institutions, community organizations and government agencies are stepping up
efforts to promote abstinence among the young and responsible drinking by adults
who do imbibe.Full report is online through the Hoffman Library (user name and password required).
Source: CQ Researcher June 8, 2012
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