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Dear NOT Too Cautious Mom,
I also read the same article and had to agree with Mr.
Logan. For those readers who missed the article, let me quote
a bit more. He suggested that "while many factors shape
a child's interest in the use of alcohol...adult modeling
is key." He noted that many adults began their drinking
by being allowed sips of holiday drinks under the supervision
of a parent or guardian, but added "That's a strong way
to socialize a child into drinking...by associating alcohol
with appealing, pleasant events and feelings" adding
that "a little of that can do a lot of harm."
A research paper published by the Duke University
Medical Center in 1998 offered the first scientific evidence
that alcohol has different effects on drinkers depending upon
their age. Neuropsychologist Scott Swartzwelder, lead investigator
of the study, noted that "Historically, there has been
no compelling reason to deter the youth of America from drinking,
other than a moral or authoritarian message....now we can
back our message with scientific evidence showing that even
occasional and moderate drinking could impair a young person's
memory systems much more than an adult's."
The results of the two studies conducted
proved that just one drink can impair learning and memory
of young people under 21, with no like memory effect on adults
Aged 21 to 30. "Quite simply, the younger the age, the
worse they performed on the memory tests when given the equivalent
of two drinks," said Swartzwelder. "If alcohol's
effects varied that much within such a narrow age range, then
there's a compelling reason to believe its effects are even
stronger in adolescents and children."
According another analysis of 43,000 interviews
by Grant and Dawson of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism reported in the January 1995 issue of the Journal
of Substance Abuse, " The younger the age of drinking
onset, the greater the chance that an individual, at some
point in life, will develop a clinically defined alcohol disorder."
These researchers found that more than 40
percent of respondents who began drinking before age 15 were
classified with alcohol dependence at some time in their lives.
That compares to 24.5 percent for respondents who began drinking
at age 17 and approximately 10 percent for respondents who
began drinking at the ages of 21 and 22. The analysis revealed
another increase in risk for subsequent alcohol dependence
among persons who began drinking at ages 23 and 24 which declined
again for persons 25 and older. Overall, the risk for alcohol
dependence decreased by 14 percent with each increasing year
of age of drinking onset.
Commenting on this study, NIAAA director
Enoch Gordis, M.D. noted, " It remains to be seen whether
it is the delay in alcohol use or, possibly, other associated
factors that explain the inverse relation-ship between age
at drinking onset and lifetime risk for alcohol abuse and
alcoholism."
In the aforementioned article Logan recommends
"maintaining a 'sober environment" during holiday
celebrations that include young people below the legal drinking
age." I agree..... Happy holidays!!
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