Coffee and Chocolate Make You Smarter

From Inc.com

There's no longer any controversy: Every healthy diet should include at least some caffeine.

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Neuroscience continues to uncover new ways that coffee and (to a lesser extent) tea and chocolate, tend to make brains healthier and more resilient. 2019 has already seen some amazing research breakthroughs that are definitely worth sharing.

First, a joint study from the National Institute on Aging and Johns Hopkins University, and published last January in Neurochemical Research magazine, discovered that a methylxanthines--a class of chemical found in coffee, tea and dark chocolate (cacao)

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"has clear effects on neuronal network activity, promotes sustained cognitive performance and can protect neurons against dysfunction and death in animal models of stroke, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease."

That same study also discovered that xanthine metabolites--a chemical released when your brain processes caffeine, "may also contribute to the beneficial effects of coffee, tea and cacao on brain health."

Second, a meta-analysis of 11 studies on the impact of coffee on brain health and published in World Journal of Surgical Oncology showed that both coffee and tea (and thus, by extension, cacao) doesn't just reduce the risk of alzheimer's disease but also reduces the risk of brain cancer.

Finally, a groundbreaking study at Okayama University

"indicated that intake of coffee components, CA and CGA, enhanced the antioxidative properties of glial cells and prevents rotenone-induced neurodegeneration in both the brain and myenteric plexus."

Translation: caffeine makes your brain more flexible and resilient.

The big takeaway: if you want to keep your brain healthy both today and in the future as you age, you should be consuming coffee, tea, or cacao.

How much?

Well, chances are you're not consuming enough. Studies have shown that the ideal daily dosage of coffee is about six to eight 8oz cups, ideally consumed prior to 2pm so that it doesn't disturb your sleep.

If that sounds like too much coffee, consider replacing a cup or two with an ounce of dark chocolate. It need hardly be said that, for other health reasons, you should be consuming coffee, tea and cacao without sugar or creamer.  But you still get the brain-boost, regardless.

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Beyond a Hangover: Alcohol and the Brain

Effects on the brain

You’re chatting with friends at a party and a waitress comes around with glasses of champagne. You drink one, then another, maybe even a few more. 

Before you realize it, you are laughing more loudly than usual and swaying as you walk. By the end of the evening, you are too slow to move out of the way of a waiter with a dessert tray and have trouble speaking clearly. The next morning, you wake up feeling dizzy and your head hurts. You may have a hard time remembering everything you did the night before.

Learn about your amazing brain.

These reactions illustrate how quickly and dramatically alcohol affects the brain. The brain is an intricate maze of connections that keeps our physical and psychological processes running smoothly. Disruption of any of these connections can affect how the brain works. Alcohol also can have longer-lasting consequences for the brain—changing the way it looks and works and resulting in a range of problems.

Most people do not realize how extensively alcohol can affect the brain. But recognizing these potential consequences will help you make better decisions about what amount of alcohol is appropriate for you.

WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE THE BRAIN?

The brain’s structure is complex. It includes multiple systems that interact to support all of your body’s functions—from thinking to breathing and moving.

These multiple brain systems communicate with each other through about a trillion tiny nerve cells called neurons. Neurons in the brain translate information into electrical and chemical signals the brain can understand. They also send messages from the brain to the rest of the body.

Chemicals called neurotransmitters carry messages between the neurons. Neurotransmitters can be very powerful. Depending on the type and the amount of neurotransmitter, these chemicals can either intensify or minimize your body’s responses, your feelings, and your mood. The brain works to balance the neurotransmitters that speed things up with the ones that slow things down to keep your body operating at the right pace.

Alcohol can slow the pace of communication between neurotransmitters in the brain.

DEFINING THE BRAIN CHANGES

Using brain imaging and psychological tests, researchers have identified the regions of the brain most vulnerable to alcohol’s effects. These include:

• CEREBELLUM – This area controls motor coordination. Damage to the cerebellum results in a loss of balance and stumbling, and also may affect cognitive functions such as memory and emotional response.
• LIMBIC SYSTEM – This complex brain system monitors a variety of tasks including memory and emotion. Damage to this area impairs each of these functions.
• CEREBRAL CORTEX – Our abilities to think, plan, behave intelligently, and interact socially stem from this brain region. In addition, this area connects the brain to the rest of the nervous system. Changes and damage to this area impair the ability to solve problems, remember, and learn.

ALCOHOL SHRINKS AND DISTURBS BRAIN TISSUE

Heavy alcohol consumption—even on a single occasion—can throw the delicate balance of neurotransmitters off course. Alcohol can cause your neurotransmitters to relay information too slowly, so you feel extremely drowsy. Alcohol-related disruptions to the neurotransmitter balance also can trigger mood and behavioral changes, including depression, agitation, memory loss, and even seizures.

Long-term, heavy drinking causes alterations in the neurons, such as reductions in the size of brain cells. As a result of these and other changes, brain mass shrinks and the brain’s inner cavity grows bigger. These changes may affect a wide range of abilities, including motor coordination; temperature regulation; sleep; mood; and various cognitive functions, including learning and memory.

One neurotransmitter particularly susceptible to even small amounts of alcohol is called glutamate. Among other things, glutamate affects memory. Researchers believe that alcohol interferes with glutamate action, and this may be what causes some people to temporarily “black out,” or forget much of what happened during a night of heavy drinking.

Alcohol also causes an increased release of serotonin, another neurotransmitter, which helps regulate emotional expression, and endorphins, which are natural substances that may spark feelings of relaxation and euphoria as intoxication sets in. Researchers now understand that the brain tries to compensate for these disruptions. 

Neurotransmitters adapt to create balance in the brain despite the presence of alcohol. But making these adaptations can have negative results, including building alcohol tolerance, developing alcohol dependence, and experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Source: Drugabuse.gov

For New Year's Eve: Impaired Driving 911

Use of illicit* drugs or misuse of prescription drugs can make driving a car unsafe—just like driving after drinking alcohol. Drugged driving puts the driver, passengers, and others who share the road at risk.

Why is drugged driving dangerous? The effects of specific drugs differ depending on how they act in the brain. For example, marijuana can slow reaction time, impair judgment of time and distance, and decrease coordination. Drivers who have used cocaine or methamphetamine can be aggressive and reckless when driving. Certain kinds of sedatives, called benzodiazepines, can cause dizziness and drowsiness.

Get the facts on drugs and the brain.

All of these impairments can lead to vehicle crashes. Research studies have shown negative effects of marijuana on drivers, including an increase in crashes. Which drugs are linked to drugged driving? After alcohol, marijuana is the drug most often found in the blood of drivers involved in crashes.

Tests for detecting marijuana in drivers measure the level of delta­9­ tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana’s mind­altering ingredient, in the blood. But the role that marijuana plays in crashes is often unclear. THC can be detected in body fluids for days or even weeks after use, and it is often combined with alcohol. The risk associated with marijuana in combination with alcohol, cocaine, or benzodiazepines appears to be greater than that for either drug by itself.

Several studies have shown that drivers with THC in their blood were roughly twice as likely to be responsible for a deadly crash or be killed than drivers who hadn't used drugs or alcohol. However, a large NHTSA study found no significant increased crash risk traceable to marijuana after controlling for drivers’ age, gender, race, and presence of alcohol. More research is needed.

Along with marijuana, prescription drugs are also commonly linked to drugged driving crashes. A 2010 nationwide study of deadly crashes found that about 47 percent of drivers who tested positive for drugs had used a prescription drug, compared to 37 percent of those had used marijuana and about 10 percent of those who had used cocaine. The most common prescription drugs found were pain relievers. However, the study didn't distinguish between medicallysupervised and illicit use of the prescription drugs.

How often does drugged driving cause crashes? It's hard to measure how many crashes are caused by drugged driving. This is because: a good roadside test for drug levels in the body doesn't yet exist police don't usually test for drugs if drivers have reached an illegal blood alcohol level because there's already enough evidence for a DUI charge many drivers who cause crashes are found to have both drugs and alcohol or more than one drug in their system, making it hard to know which substance had the greater effect.

One NHTSA study found that in 2009, 18 percent of drivers killed in a crash tested positive for at least one drug. A 2010 study showed that 11 percent of deadly crashes involved a drugged driver.

Why is drugged driving a problem in teens and young adults? Teen drivers are less experienced and are more likely than older drivers to underestimate or not recognize dangerous situations. They are also more likely to speed and allow less distance between vehicles. When lack of driving experience is combined with drug use, the results can be tragic. Car crashes are the leading cause of death among young people aged 16 to 19 years.

A 2011 survey of middle and high school students showed that, in the 2 weeks before the survey, 12 percent of high school seniors had driven after using marijuana, compared to around 10. Drugged Driving in Older Adults In 2010, more than one­quarter of drugged drivers in deadly crashes were aged 50 years or older. Illicit drug use in adults aged 50 to 59 has increased, more than doubling from 3 percent in 2002 to 7 percent in 2010. Mental decline in older adults can lead to taking a prescription drug more or less often than they should or in the wrong amount. Older adults also may not break down the drug in their system as quickly as younger people. These factors can lead to unintended intoxication while behind the wheel of a car.

A study of college students with access to a car found that 1 in 6 had driven under the influence of a drug other than alcohol at least once in the past year. Marijuana was the most common drug used, followed by cocaine and prescription pain relievers. What steps can people take to prevent drugged driving? Because drugged driving puts people at a higher risk for crashes, public health experts urge people who use drugs and alcohol to develop social strategies to prevent them from getting behind the wheel of a car while impaired. Steps people can take include: offering to be a designated driver appointing a designated driver to take all car keys getting a ride to and from parties where there are drugs and alcohol discussing the risks of drugged driving with friends in advance

In 2014, 10 million people aged 12 or older reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs in the past year. It's hard to measure how many crashes drugged driving causes. After alcohol, marijuana is the drug most often linked to drugged driving. In 2010, more than one­quarter of drugged drivers in fatal crashes were aged 50 years or older. When lack of driving experience is combined with drug use, the results can be tragic. People who use drugs and alcohol should develop social strategies to prevent them from getting behind the wheel of a car while impaired.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse.

FASD: Alcohol and the Precious Fetal Brain

Alcohol is the leading known environmental agent capable of causing physical birth defects.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

YESTERDAY Alcohol’s ability to cause birth defects was recognized more than three decades ago by U.S. researchers, and it is now the leading known environmental teratogen (an agent capable of causing physical birth defects). In a 1981 advisory, the U.S. Surgeon General suggested that pregnant women should limit their alcohol intake – although no recommended level of intake was specified. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one of the most serious consequences of heavy drinking during pregnancy. FAS is a devastating constellation of birth defects characterized by craniofacial malformations, neurological and motor deficits, intrauterine growth retardation, learning disabilities, and behavioral and social deficits. While the prevalence of FAS in the U.S. is between 0.5-2.0 cases per 1000 births, it is more common in other parts of the world. For example, in parts of South Africa where heavy drinking prevails, the incidence of FAS exceeds 60 cases per 1000 individuals. It is estimated that for every child born with FAS, three additional children are born who may not have the physical characteristics of FAS but who, as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure, still experience neurobehavioral deficits that affect learning and behavior. TODAY The umbrella term "Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)" is now used to characterize the full range of prenatal alcohol damage varying from mild to severe and encompassing a broad array of physical defects and cognitive, behavioral, and emotional deficits. The earliest stages of life are periods of great vulnerability to the adverse effects of alcohol. Embryonic The earliest stages of life are periods of great vulnerability to the adverse effects of alcohol. Embryonic and fetal development are characterized by rapid, but well-synchronized patterns of gene expression, which makes the embryo/fetus particularly vulnerable to harm from alcohol. Research shows that patterns of exposure known to place a fetus at greatest risk for FASD include drinking four or more drinks per occasion, and drinking more than seven drinks per week. The outcomes attributable to prenatal alcohol exposure for the children of women drinking in this manner include deficits in growth, behavior, and neurocognition, including deficits in arithmetic, language and memory, visual-spatial abilities, attention, and speed of information processing. Imaging and neurobehavioral research in individuals with FAS and FASD reveals that some brain regions appear to be most sensitive to prenatal alcohol while other areas apparently are spared adverse effects. Particularly vulnerable regions include the frontal cortex, hippocampus, corpus callosum, and components of the cerebellum, including the anterior vermis. Despite a number of prevention efforts, including point of sale warning signs and bottle labeling, national surveillance data indicate that in 2005, 12% of pregnant women admitted drinking alcohol in the previous month and 2% were binge drinking. Data from prenatal clinics and postnatal studies suggest that 20-30% of women drink at some time during pregnancy. A majority of women in the U.S. reduce or abstain from alcohol once pregnancy is recognized but almost half of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned. More than 12% of women who are not using contraception and are at risk of becoming pregnant drink at levels that exceed 7 drinks per week or 4 or more drinks per occasion. In a 2005 update of the Surgeon General’s advisory of 1981, the U.S. Surgeon General advised pregnant women and women who may become pregnant to abstain from drinking alcohol to eliminate the chance of giving birth to a baby with FASD. The Surgeon General’s 2005 advisory states: A pregnant woman should not drink alcohol during pregnancy. A pregnant woman who already has consumed alcohol during her pregnancy should stop in order to minimize further risk. A woman who is considering becoming pregnant should abstain from alcohol. Health professionals should routinely inquire about alcohol consumption by women of childbearing age, inform them of the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and advise them not to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy. Health professionals may offer brief office-based interventions to women at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy or who are drinking during pregnancy, or may refer them to an alcohol treatment specialist. Women who continue to have difficulty refraining from alcohol after a brief intervention and those who are alcohol dependent should be referred to an alcohol treatment specialist. A number of effective tools are available for assessment of at-risk drinking and intervention guidelines for women of childbearing age. Currently, NIH and other agencies and organizations recommend that primary care providers screen all women of childbearing age for alcohol use. TOMORROW Ongoing research seeks to find more effective ways to prevent and treat FASD. The broadest approach involves universal prevention measures targeted to the global community of men and women, and conveys general education on risks and information to abstain from alcohol in pregnancy. Current research also includes multilevel interventions involving case management of high risk individuals and brief interventions using motivational interviewing and community reinforcement. Screening, brief intervention, and referral for treatment (SBIRT) approaches have emerged as a significant tool for addressing alcohol and other substance use in primary and prenatal care settings. SBIRT has been endorsed by the NIH, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and other federal agencies and professional societies. Ongoing NIH research on computer-delivered brief interventions is beginning to show promising effects in the area of prenatal substance use, with early results suggesting that computer-delivered SBIRT may be implemented efficiently and at low cost in community settings. Other ongoing efforts to minimize the damage caused by prenatal alcohol exposure include studies of pharmacological intervention during pregnancy. This approach may be applicable when there is alcohol exposure before a woman recognizes that she is pregnant, or otherwise fails to stop drinking during the pregnancy. Early-stage clinical trials are underway to assess the ability of choline supplementation as well as several behavioral interventions to mitigate learning and behavioral deficits in children with FASD. In addition, basic science investigations are exploring a number of other potential therapeutic interventions, such as dietary choline supplementation during pregnancy to prevent FASD. Researchers are also using animal models of FASD to explore several promising approaches to reversing or ameliorating neurobehavioral deficits. For example, recent animal studies examining the effects of neonatal binge alcohol exposure on the performance of a motor task suggest that complex motor skill training may help reverse performance deficits resulting from such exposure. NIAAA also seeks to launch an initiative to establish more precise estimates of FASD prevalence through creation of a standardized diagnostic system among affected children. While multiple studies designed to examine the risk factors for and effects of FASD have estimated the overall prevalence of FASD in the U.S., results of these studies suggest disparities due to relatively high rates of FASD in selected heavily drinking groups. There is a substantial need to determine a more accurate prevalence of FASD in broader communities exhibiting more variable risk. Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

YESTERDAY

• Alcohol’s ability to cause birth defects was recognized more than three decades ago by U.S. researchers, and it is now the leading known environmental teratogen (an agent capable of causing physical birth defects). In a 1981 advisory, the U.S. Surgeon General suggested that pregnant women should limit their alcohol intake – although no recommended level of intake was specified.
• Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one of the most serious consequences of heavy drinking during pregnancy. FAS is a devastating constellation of birth defects characterized by craniofacial malformations, neurological and motor deficits, intrauterine growth retardation, learning disabilities, and behavioral and social deficits.
• While the prevalence of FAS in the U.S. is between 0.5-2.0 cases per 1000 births, it is more common in other parts of the world. For example, in parts of South Africa where heavy drinking prevails, the incidence of FAS exceeds 60 cases per 1000 individuals.
• It is estimated that for every child born with FAS, three additional children are born who may not have the physical characteristics of FAS but who, as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure, still experience neurobehavioral deficits that affect learning and behavior.

TODAY

• The umbrella term "Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)" is now used to characterize the full range of prenatal alcohol damage varying from mild to severe and encompassing a broad array of physical defects and cognitive, behavioral, and emotional deficits.

• The earliest stages of life are periods of great vulnerability to the adverse effects of alcohol. Embryonic

• The earliest stages of life are periods of great vulnerability to the adverse effects of alcohol. Embryonic and fetal development are characterized by rapid, but well-synchronized patterns of gene expression, which makes the embryo/fetus particularly vulnerable to harm from alcohol.
• Research shows that patterns of exposure known to place a fetus at greatest risk for FASD include drinking four or more drinks per occasion, and drinking more than seven drinks per week. The outcomes attributable to prenatal alcohol exposure for the children of women drinking in this manner include deficits in growth, behavior, and neurocognition, including deficits in arithmetic, language and memory, visual-spatial abilities, attention, and speed of information processing.
• Imaging and neurobehavioral research in individuals with FAS and FASD reveals that some brain regions appear to be most sensitive to prenatal alcohol while other areas apparently are spared adverse effects. Particularly vulnerable regions include the frontal cortex, hippocampus, corpus callosum, and components of the cerebellum, including the anterior vermis.
• Despite a number of prevention efforts, including point of sale warning signs and bottle labeling, national surveillance data indicate that in 2005, 12% of pregnant women admitted drinking alcohol in the previous month and 2% were binge drinking. Data from prenatal clinics and postnatal studies suggest that 20-30% of women drink at some time during pregnancy. A majority of women in the U.S. reduce or abstain from alcohol once pregnancy is recognized but almost half of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned. More than 12% of women who are not using contraception and are at risk of becoming pregnant drink at levels that exceed 7 drinks per week or 4 or more drinks per occasion.
• In a 2005 update of the Surgeon General’s advisory of 1981, the U.S. Surgeon General advised pregnant women and women who may become pregnant to abstain from drinking alcohol to eliminate the chance of giving birth to a baby with FASD.
• The Surgeon General’s 2005 advisory states:
  
  
  • A pregnant woman should not drink alcohol during pregnancy.
  • A pregnant woman who already has consumed alcohol during her pregnancy should stop in order to minimize further risk.
  • A woman who is considering becoming pregnant should abstain from alcohol.
  • Health professionals should routinely inquire about alcohol consumption by women of childbearing age, inform them of the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and advise them not to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy.
  • Health professionals may offer brief office-based interventions to women at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy or who are drinking during pregnancy, or may refer them to an alcohol treatment specialist. Women who continue to have difficulty refraining from alcohol after a brief intervention and those who are alcohol dependent should be referred to an alcohol treatment specialist.
• A number of effective tools are available for assessment of at-risk drinking and intervention guidelines for women of childbearing age. Currently, NIH and other agencies and organizations recommend that primary care providers screen all women of childbearing age for alcohol use.

TOMORROW

• Ongoing research seeks to find more effective ways to prevent and treat FASD. The broadest approach involves universal prevention measures targeted to the global community of men and women, and conveys general education on risks and information to abstain from alcohol in pregnancy.
• Current research also includes multilevel interventions involving case management of high risk individuals and brief interventions using motivational interviewing and community reinforcement.
• Screening, brief intervention, and referral for treatment (SBIRT) approaches have emerged as a significant tool for addressing alcohol and other substance use in primary and prenatal care settings. SBIRT has been endorsed by the NIH, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and other federal agencies and professional societies. Ongoing NIH research on computer-delivered brief interventions is beginning to show promising effects in the area of prenatal substance use, with early results suggesting that computer-delivered SBIRT may be implemented efficiently and at low cost in community settings.
• Other ongoing efforts to minimize the damage caused by prenatal alcohol exposure include studies of pharmacological intervention during pregnancy. This approach may be applicable when there is alcohol exposure before a woman recognizes that she is pregnant, or otherwise fails to stop drinking during the pregnancy.
• Early-stage clinical trials are underway to assess the ability of choline supplementation as well as several behavioral interventions to mitigate learning and behavioral deficits in children with FASD. In addition, basic science investigations are exploring a number of other potential therapeutic interventions, such as dietary choline supplementation during pregnancy to prevent FASD.
• Researchers are also using animal models of FASD to explore several promising approaches to reversing or ameliorating neurobehavioral deficits. For example, recent animal studies examining the effects of neonatal binge alcohol exposure on the performance of a motor task suggest that complex motor skill training may help reverse performance deficits resulting from such exposure.
• NIAAA also seeks to launch an initiative to establish more precise estimates of FASD prevalence through creation of a standardized diagnostic system among affected children. While multiple studies designed to examine the risk factors for and effects of FASD have estimated the overall prevalence of FASD in the U.S., results of these studies suggest disparities due to relatively high rates of FASD in selected heavily drinking groups. There is a substantial need to determine a more accurate prevalence of FASD in broader communities exhibiting more variable risk.

Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 

Alcohol: The Forgotten Drug of Abuse

Parents have critical role in preventing teen drinking

Source:

University of Adelaide

Summary:

Fewer Australian teenagers are drinking alcohol but more needs to be done to curb the drinking habits of Aussie students, based on the findings of the latest study.

FULL STORY

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Fewer Australian teenagers are drinking alcohol but more needs to be done to curb the drinking habits of Aussie students, based on the findings of the latest study by Adelaide researchers.

The results of the study, now published in the journal BMC Public Health, provide a snapshot of the prevalence of alcohol consumption among students, and the factors that most influence their drinking behaviour. This research has been supported by Cancer Council SA and SA Government.

"Harmful alcohol use is a serious problem in Australia, and drinking patterns are often first set in adolescence," says lead author Jacqueline Bowden, behavioural scientist and Manager of Population Health Research at SAHMRI, and researcher with the School of Psychology, University of Adelaide.

"With alcohol contributing to four of the top five causes of death in young people, and a leading cause of cancer in our community, it's important for us to better understand drinking behaviour among young people so we can help to prevent or delay it.

"One of the major messages from our study is that parents have more influence on their teenagers' decisions regarding alcohol than they probably realise. Parental behaviour and attitudes towards alcohol really do make a difference, and can help prevent children from drinking at an early age."
The study found:

• By age 16, most students had tried alcohol
• A third of students reported that they drank alcohol at least occasionally
• Only 28% of students were aware of a link between alcohol and cancer
• Across all ages, students were less likely to drink if their parents showed disapproval of underage drinking
• Those aged 14-17 were less likely to drink if they knew about the link between alcohol and cancer
• Smoking and approval of drinking from friends were more likely to result in drinking
• Once young people have become regular drinkers, the main predictor for drinking is the perceived availability of alcohol
• Cashed up students are more likely to drink.

Lincoln Size, Chief Executive Cancer Council SA, says: "The evidence is clear that alcohol use is a cause of cancer. Any level of alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing an alcohol-related cancer; the level of risk increases in line with the level of consumption.

"This latest evidence highlights the need to educate young people about the consequences of alcohol consumption and for parents to demonstrate responsible drinking behaviour. We need to get the message through that what may be considered harmless fun actually has lifelong consequences.

"We know that alcohol causes cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, bowel in men and breast among women. There is also probable evidence that alcohol increases the risk of bowel cancer in women, and liver cancer.

Ms Bowden says we need to address the issue of supply to teenagers. "Many parents believe providing their children with alcohol in the safe environment of their home teaches them to drink responsibly. However, the weight of evidence suggests that this increases consumption, and is not recommended.

"Our results also found that those adolescents who thought they could buy alcohol easily were more likely to drink regularly. The issue of availability -- including price -- and marketing of alcohol in the community is a major hurdle to be overcome.

"Alcohol is more affordable in Australia than it has been in the past 30 years, and the number of premises selling alcohol in Australia has increased substantially in the past 15 years. Throw advertising and sports sponsorship into the mix and we have some very strong messages that alcohol is the norm," Ms Bowden says.

"Our evidence shows that that parents have a significant and substantial role to play, to help their kids develop a healthier relationship with alcohol early. Parents can set the boundaries and create clear expectations."
Ms Bowden says parents should:

• Discuss alcohol use with their children, and the fact that not everyone drinks
• Get to know upcoming activities, such as parties, and set expectations for behaviour
• Reconsider drinking in front of children, as most alcohol is consumed by adults at home
• Have alcohol-free events
• Avoid binge drinking
• Don't buy alcohol for adolescents or provide it at parties.

"We often forget that alcohol is the most widely used recreational drug in Australia and has an enormous cost on families. It is important that parents set the right example," Ms Bowden says.

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Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Adelaide.

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