BINGE DRINKING

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BINGE DRINKING

• Impact On Adolescents

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Binge Drinking

• Defined as drinking at least four drinks in a row
  for females and five for males on one or more
  occasions.
• Nearly 9 percent of boys and 7 percent of girls
  ages 12 to 17 reported binge drinking in the
  previous month.
• Binge drinking often begins around age 13, tends
  to increase during adolescence, peaks in young
  adulthood (ages 18 to 22), then gradually
  decreases.
• Among persons under the legal drinking age (12 to
  20), 15 percent were binge drinkers and 7 percent
  were heavy drinkers.

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BINGE DRINKING

• WHEN PEOPLE BINGE DRINK, THEY TAKE IN ALCOHOL
  FASTER THAN THE BODY CAN PROCESS IT.
• The body can only process ½ ounce of alcohol per
  hour.
• Ingestion beyond this time frame will result in
  alcohol intoxication, coma and possibly death.

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Alcohol Poisoning A severe and potentially fatal
physical reaction to an alcohol overdose

• When excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed,
  the brain is deprived of oxygen. The struggle to
  deal with an overdose of alcohol and lack of
  oxygen will eventually cause the brain to shut
  down the involuntary functions that regulate
  breathing and heart rate.
• Symptoms include
• Vomiting
• Unconsciousness
• Cold, clammy, pale, or bluish skin
• Slow or irregular breathing (less than 8 breaths
  a minute or 10 or more seconds between breaths).

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Alcohol poisoning quickly affects bodily
functions that sustain life. As a depressant,
alcohol affects breathing, heart rate and blood
pressure. When people drink too much in a short
time, the areas of the brain that control these
functions can be sedatedLITERALLY PUT TO SLEEP.
If that happens, people can die because breathing
mechanisms shut down or people choke on their own
vomit.
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Underage Drinking can Program" the Brain for
Alcoholism!

• Underage alcohol use greatly increases the risk
  of alcoholism, according to the Institutes of
  Medicine - National Research Council report
  "Reducing Underage Drinking A Collective
  Responsibility."
• Start before age 15 Five times more likely of
  developing alcohol dependence than those who
  begin drinking alcohol at age 21.

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• Here's why The brain is hard-wired to reward
  feelings of pleasure so we naturally want to
  repeat them. Feelings can range from an intense
  emotional "high" to a happy sense of satisfaction
  from doing something well or for someone else. We
  remember pleasure from dopamine, a "feel-good"
  brain chemical.

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Alcohol hijacks the brain's pleasure-reward
system by stimulating unusual amounts of
dopamine, and other neurochemicals, creating
feelings of pleasure from a chemical instead of a
natural experience. Because the teen brain
produces an abundance of dopamine (compared to an
adult), it can rapidly go from liking, to
craving, to needing alcohol, thus programming it
for alcoholism.
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Important Fact

• The adolescent brain differs greatly from that of
  a mature adult. In fact, research demonstrates
  that, among other areas of the brain, the
  thinking part of the brain (Prefrontal Cortex) is
  not fully developed until age 24. Use of any
  substance before 24 can delay, and in some
  studies, stop physical brain maturation!

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Alcohol Use Hinders Adolescent Brain Growth and
Permanently Reduces Development
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Daniel Amen, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist in Southern California, used SPECT scans to show functional activity levels in the brain of a healthy non-drinker (left), and that of a sober 21-year old with a four-year history of heavy alcohol use (right). The "holes" indicate areas of reduced brain activity.
                                                                                         
                                                                                             
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• Prefrontal cortex
• The prefrontal area responsible for good
  judgment, planning, decision making, impulse
  control and other tasks necessary for academic
  success such as retaining information,
  prioritizing, organizing, completing assignments
  and preparing for tests. undergoes the most
  change during adolescence. Researchers found that
  adolescent drinking could cause severe changes in
  this area which plays an important role in
  forming adult personality and behavior Damage
  from alcohol at this time can be long-term and
  irreversible.

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Prefrontal Cortex
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• HippocampusThe hippocampus (involved in
  learning and memory) suffers the worst
  alcohol-related brain damage in teens Those who
  had been drinking more and for longer had
  significantly smaller hippocampi (10 percent) In
  addition, short-term or moderate drinking impairs
  learning and memory far more in youth than
  adults Frequent drinkers may never be able to
  catch up in adulthood because alcohol inhibits
  systems crucial for storing new information.
  Source                 

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Weekend Abuse of Alcohol

• Seventeen Years of heavy weekend use (see
  following slide).

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Bottom of Same Brain

• Seventeen years of heavy weekend use (see
  following slide).

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Alcohol and Crime

• 40 of violent crimes involves alcohol
• 70 of all crimes are alcohol related
• Alcohol is a key factor in
• 68 of manslaughters,
• 62 of assaults,
• 54 of murders/attempted murders,
• 48 of robberies
• 44 of burglaries.

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Consequences In College

• 1,400 college students die from alcohol-related
  causes, and 1,100 of these deaths involve
  drinking and driving.
• 500,000 students suffer nonfatal injuries.
• 400,000 students have unprotected sex.
• More than 100,000 students are too intoxicated to
  know whether they consented to sexual
  intercourse.

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Frequent binge drinkers were 21 times more likely
than non-binge drinkers to have

• Missed class
• Engaged in unplanned sexual activity
• Fallen behind in school work
• Not used protection when having sex
• Damaged property
• Gotten in trouble with police
• Been hurt or injured
• Driven a car after drinking

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The national average age when youth first try
alcohol

• 11 years for boys.
• 13 years for girls. 
• The average age at which Americans begin drinking
  regularly is 15.9 years old.

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Alcohol- Still The Leader

• The three leading causes of death for ages 15
  24 are automobile crashes, homicides and
  suicides -- alcohol is a leading factor in all
  three.

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Alcohol has a GREATER impact on the developing
teen brain

• Alcohol impairs the areas that control motor
  coordination, impulse control, memory, and
  judgment.  Kids who drink are at greater risk for
  school failure and dropping out. (Substance Abuse
  and Mental Health Services Administration-SAMHSA)

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Reasons To Abstain

• A child who reaches age 21 without smoking,
  abusing alcohol or using drugs is virtually
  certain never to do so.
• Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Chairman and
  President, The National Center on Addiction and
  Substance Abuse at Columbia University

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Communication Tools

• Use current research Kids are curious. Let me
  tell you a little bit about the effects of.or
  ask them what they know about the effects/risks.
• Be well informed Know the facts. Students are
  sophisticated!
• Stay on neutral ground Illustrate what happens
  to any user of a substance, rather than focusing
  on the students use.
• State what experts have found, not what you think
  happens.
• Ask, What do you think of all this?
• Use teachable moments Use examples from
  articles, movies, students conversations, etc.
• Let them overhear you talking about the subject.
• Believe that kids want your help they value your
  input but may not show you.
• Refer to a chemical dependency counselor.

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Chemical Dependency Programs for Youth

• Daybreak Treatment Center 509-927-1688 (main
  office), 509-444-7033 (outpatient), 509-927-1991
  (Valley office)
• Native Project 509-325-5502
• Excelsior Youth Center 509-328-7041 xt 116
• NEWTA provides drug testing at reduced rates
  509-326-7740