Teen Drinking Targeted

By Surgeon General, Hartford Lawmakers

HARTFORD — Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu wants to issue a wake-up call about the widespread use of alcohol by millions of underage drinkers. And with Connecticut leading the country in reported incidents of underage drinking, state lawmakers are considering an increase in alcohol taxes to fund substance abuse programs for young people.

Surgeon General Moritsugu issued a report recently that he said was designed to get all sectors of society involved in solving a major health problem. He described alcohol as the drug of choice for teens.

The 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates there are 11 million underage drinkers in the United States. Nearly 7.2 million are considered binge drinkers, typically meaning they drank more than five drinks on occasion.

“Alcohol remains the most heavily abused substance by America’s youth,” Dr Moritsugu said. He said the report calls for a “change in the culture and attitudes toward drinking in America. We can no longer ignore what alcohol is doing to our children.”

Turning the focus locally, a 2002 National Household Survey of Drug Use and Health indicated young adults aged 18–25 in Connecticut had the highest rate of past-month use (69 percent), as well as the highest prevalence of binge drinking (46 percent) and alcohol abuse and dependence (18 percent).

Data from a CORE Survey conducted on Connecticut college campuses in 2004 had comparable findings: 72 percent of college students reported that they were current drinkers and 46 percent had been binge drinking within the past two weeks.

Although there has been a significant decline in tobacco and illicit drug use among teens, underage drinking has remained at consistently high levels, the Surgeon General said. In part, that high use stems from tolerance by adults.

“Too many Americans consider underage drinking a rite of passage to adulthood,” said Dr Moritsugu. “Research shows that young people who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol-related problems later in life.”

Dr Moritsugu also urged more research on adolescent alcohol use and its relationship to physical and mental development. He said there is new research that indicates alcohol may harm the development of the brain in adolescents.

Locally, Jill Spineti, acting president of Connecticut’s Governor’s Prevention Partnership, joined other alcohol treatment and prevention advocates in late February testifying on behalf of a proposed bill to increase the state’s alcohol tax.

They testified before the public health committee, which held its first hearing on HB 6088. Sponsored by state Representative Jack Malone (D-Norwich) and co-sponsored by state Senator Edith Prague (D-Columbia), the bill would direct funding raised by the alcohol tax to substance abuse treatment programs.

The state’s alcohol tax has not risen in more than a decade. Studies consistently find that increasing the tax on beer and liquor serves as a deterrent for underage drinking.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.