TEENS WHO DRINK BECOME INJURY-PRONE ADULTS

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teenage drinking has been linked to alcohol
dependency later life and to more immediate risks such as car accidents.
Now, new research shows that people who start drinking early on may take
more risks and collect more injuries throughout their lives.

In a study of nearly 43,000 adults, investigators found that those who had
started drinking by age 14 were far more likely than others to suffer an
alcohol-related injury at some point in their lives. Drunken accidents were
three times more common among these drinkers than among those who took up
drinking at age 21, researchers report in the September 27th issue of The
Journal of the American Medical Association (news - web sites).

Dr. Ralph W. Hingson, of the Boston University School of Public Health in
Massachusetts, led the study. Hingson told Reuters Health that early
drinking has been linked to alcohol dependency and heavy drinking later in
life. However, he said, this offers only a "partial explanation" for his
study findings, because early starters had a higher injury risk even if
they did not develop a drinking problem.

It seems, Hingson said, that people who start drinking at such a young age
are greater risk takers.

The researchers used data from a survey on drinking history, risk-taking
behavior, and alcohol-related injuries. The team found that the older
respondents were when they began drinking, the less likely they were to
take risks and get injured.

Hingson said these findings are "yet more evidence" that parents, doctors
and educators need to drive home the message that underage drinking is
dangerous. One study, he noted, has shown that after years of decline,
drinking and driving may be on the rise among high school students.

"We can never claim victory on this," Hingson said. "Every year a new
high-risk (group) enters the driving pool."

Of course, he noted, the dangers of underage drinking are not limited to
driving. The current study showed that people who start drinking early on
are more likely to suffer a host of injuries--from falls to accidental
gunshot wounds.

Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association 2000;284:1527-