From today's Courier Mail.... pg 33/34
"Dark Side of Drinking"
Some 10 percent of Australians are drinking at levels that are risky, says Professor David Kavanagh, a clinicl psychologist at the University of Queensland's School of Medicine. But is the the 18-24 year old age group that is at the greatest risk of developing an alcohol related problem, he says.
"Drinking is most common in the late teens and early 20s age group. Because it is a period of heavy drinking, these people are most at risk of going off the rails. Young people often start to drink when they feel depressed and anxious and alcohol makes them feel better. They may also start because of peer pressure."
Kavanagh does not believe that giving young people small amounts of alcohol in family settings teaches them to drink responsibly. Having easy access to alcohol increases the risk of developing problems, he says. Statistics show that of 87.5 per cent of people in the 18-24 age group who have drunk alcohol in the past 12 months, more than two-thirds of men and more than half of women drank amounts that placed them at short-term risk of injury.
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3 comments:
I should give this article to my neighbour and her young friends that were sprawled out in the gutter on Friday night when I got home from Fusion @ play...
that bit about "Drinking is most common in the late teens and early 20s age group. Because it is a period of heavy drinking, these people are most at risk of going off the rails." do you think that has something to do with the herding cats thing that Tim Hein spoke about at the supper on sunday?
If you weren't there, don't worry... you won't get it.
hm not sure Harry. Thatdoesn't fit with the 'defining themselves against something' theory. About 25% of people between the age of 20-25 say they start drinking to fit in on social occasions (which is more like sheep than cats?) So I like his theory in a way but I am not sure how well it actually fits.
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