0 Giving Kids a "Sip" of Alcohol Can Send the Wrong Message About Drinking

That little sip of wine or beer that some parents offer
their kids at a wedding or on New Year’s Eve may muddle messages about alcohol,
according to a new study by researchers at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction
Studies at Brown University. The scientists surveyed middle school students for
three years to learn whether even a taste in early childhood was a predictor of
risky behavior in high school.

The Internet-based study, published in the April 1^st
issue of the Journal
of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, included more than 500 Rhode Island school
students. More than one-third of the kids surveyed reported trying their first
sip of alcohol by the sixth grade, and most said that their first taste took
place at home. Wine and beer were the most commonly tried beverages, usually at
a special occasion, such as a wedding or a holiday, and adults were the primary source of the alcohol. Nearly three-quarters
of the children were offered sips by their own mom or dad.

The study also showed that
kids who sipped alcohol by the sixth grade were five times more likely to down
a full alcoholic beverage by the time they reached 9^th grade—26% of
sippers consumed a full drink versus 5.5% of non-sippers. The earlier sippers
were also four times more likely to get drunk or binge drink by early high
school, and trying alcoholic beverages earlier in life also raised a child’s
risk for trying other substances.

Even when the researchers
controlled for other factors, such as risk-taking behavior, the drinking habits
of parents, and a history of alcoholism in a parent, kids who’d sipped before
sixth grade had higher odds of alcohol use by their freshman year of high
school.

The take-home message:
Offering a child a sip of your beverage may send the wrong message, says study
author Kristina Jackson, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of
Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown School of Public Health.

"Parents should provide
clear, consistent messages about the unacceptability of alcohol consumption for
youth,” Jackson advises. “Younger teens and tweens may be unable to understand
the difference between drinking a sip and drinking one or more drinks.
Certainly there are exceptions, such as religious occasions,
so the most important thing is to make sure that children know when drinking
alcohol is acceptable and when it is not.”

The context of alcohol use is important, says Oscar G. Bukstein, M.D., M.P.H., medical director at DePelchin
Children’s Center and a clinical professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of
Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, who was not
involved in the research. “Often, by allowing children to sip or try alcohol on
‘special occasions’, the message delivered may be one of ‘this is how we
celebrate’, we drink,” Buckstein says.

He says that sipping may be associated with increased access to
alcohol, too, or more lax parent attitudes and that undermines any anti-drinking
messages kids hear.

April 21^st is the national day to talk with your kids
about alcohol. Visit Mothers
Against Drunk Driving’s (MADD) Power of Parents
page to learn more.

by Mary Brophy Marcus, health writer, APA

Detail: Giving Kids a "Sip" of Alcohol Can Send the Wrong Message About Drinking

0 Binge Drinking: What you should know before your next tailgate party

By Heidi Huang, Medical Student

Reviewed by Claudia L. Reardon, M.D.



Have you ever been in a situation where one alcoholic drink led to another and before you knew it, you had one too many drinks?

Whether it’s at college parties, summer cookouts, or tailgating at sports events, millions of Americans have experienced what it is like to binge drink and some do so regularly. Recent studies show that 1 in 6 Americans binge drink at least 4 times a month with an average of 8 drinks each time they binge drink.

Have you ever wondered if this is harmful and what to do to prevent drinking too much? Here are some commonly asked questions about binge drinking.

What is the definition of binge drinking?

Binge drinking is drinking 5 or more alcoholic drinks for men and 4 or more drinks for women in one sitting.

What are the consequences?

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  There are over fifty different injuries and diseases associated with heavy alcohol use and binge drinking. Some of these include car accidents, violence, arrests, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, depression, and suicide.

  
  
  
  


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  Heavy alcohol use causes 80,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, and binge drinking accounts for more than half of these deaths.

  
  
  
  


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  Binge drinking increases your chances of developing a full-blown alcohol addiction.

  
  
  
  

Why do people binge drink?

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  Some people may not be aware of the safe limits for drinking.

  
  
  
  


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  People often feel social pressure from friends and peers to drink. For example, while tailgating at a football game or attending college social events, you may feel pressure to binge drink because everyone else is drinking a lot, and people are offering you too much to drink.

  
  
  
  


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  Most binge drinkers are not alcoholics and are able to go many days without having a drink. Because of this, they may feel their alcohol use is not a problem and may not be aware of the serious consequences of binge drinking.

  
  
  
  


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  BUT binge drinking may be part of an alcohol addiction problem.
  
  

 What are some strategies to avoid binge drinking?

1. 
   Stay within safe limits: For men, this means no more than 4 drinks in one day and no more than 14 in a week. For women, this means no more than 3 drinks in one day and no more than 7 in a week.
   
   


2. 
   Keep track of the number of drinks you have: Take mental note or write it down. One drink is the same as 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of table wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor.
   
   


3. 
   Pace yourself: Try to have less than 1 drink per hour.
   
   


4. 
   Alternate with non-alcoholic beverages such as water or soda.
   
   


5. 
   Avoid drinking contests and drinking games.
   
   


6. 
   Find someone who you can trust and who can offer some support to help limit the amount you drink.
   
   


7. 
   Know that it is perfectly acceptable to politely refuse a drink when you have had enough.
   
   

When to get help from a health professional?

It can be difficult to tell when binge drinking will become or is already part of a more serious alcohol addiction such as alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. If you are unsure about your alcohol use pattern or want to reduce your drinking, you should talk to your doctor or other health professional for more information and guidance to cut down. In the meantime, try some of these tips at your next get-together or sports event.

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Detail: Binge Drinking: What you should know before your next tailgate party