PEDIATRICS Vol. 55 No. 4 April 1975, pp. 557-559
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Alcohol Consumption: An Adolescent Problem

(1) There has been an increase in consumption of alcohol and the consequent problems associated with alcoholic intoxication in children and teen-agers.

(2) There has been an increase in alcohol-related automobile accidents involving teen-agers in many centers.

(3) The lowering of the legal age of drinking and the anxiety toward cannabis usage have made alcohol more acceptable to adults and led to its "rediscovery" by teen-agers as an alternative to marijuana and hashish derivatives.

(4) Advertising, by its youth-oriented message, has made the use of alcohol, beer, and wine especially attractive and acceptable to teen-agers.

(5) Alcohol consumption and its abuse is a major health hazard in North America.

(6) Studies in young teen-agers show that a small but definite number of persons drink not only for social reasons, such as peer acceptance, curiosity, experimentation, and so forth, but also as self-medication to relieve tension and anxiety. Such seff-medication paves the way for drug abuse and early alcoholism.