Teen-Age Drinking Overlooked in Drug Battle

WESTFIELD, N.J. —  “Hammered” or “wasted” or “ripped.” “Spent” or “blasted.” That is what a lot of teen-agers said they “got” last weekend.

Alcohol continues to be the No. 1 drug used and abused by young people in the United States. Latest studies show that although overall drug use among America’s youth has gone down, alcohol use has remained constant.

“It’s the only drug that has not dropped,” said Dick Bast of the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol Information in Rockville, Md. He cites several reasons:

- Parents are pleased to know that their kids are not doing other drugs.

- Alcohol is not hard to come by.

- Their parents drink, so they drink themselves.

- Society’s feeling is that “it’s OK.”

Alcohol is “often minimized because it is legalized for adults, accepted socially and seen all over society,” said Pat Belmont, youth coordinator of New Jersey’s Division of Alcoholism.

She said the division likes to emphasize that alcohol be hit as hard as drugs in drug prevention programs.

Belmont suggested that because adults and children sometimes don’t think of alcohol in conjunction with other drugs, “We’re fighting a bigger battle.”

Why do teen-agers drink? Commonly given reasons include boredom, peer pressure, rebellion, imitation of adult behavior, relief of emotion or doing it “just for the feeling.”

But “there’s no one reason,” said Al Brand, a 17-year-old from Westfield, N.J. “Everybody has a different reason. It’s something to do. It’s a pastime. People have been drinking ever since alcohol was invented.”

“Personally, I feel advertising is a real issue,” said Lloyd Johnston, program director with the Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan, who has researched teen-age drinking.

“When you have use of a drug--with clearly damaging effects on individuals and society--that for historical reasons is legal, to promote its use with advertising does affect the norm and perceived desirability.”

American children between the ages of 2 and 18 see about 100,000 television commercials for beer, according to the National Council on Alcoholism. Commercials feature sports stars and actors--and rock groups and cute little dogs.

Beer is not only advertising’s darling, but the favorite drink of many teens as well. But some question how long beer will remain No. 1.

Wine coolers, relatively new products, are becoming increasingly popular among young people.

“Wine coolers appeal to people who don’t like the taste of alcohol,” said Christine Lubinski, Washington representative of the National Council on Alcohol.

“Industry research shows a significant number of people who switched from non-alcoholic beverages to wine coolers. Wine cooler companies see the whole beverage market as their competition. They’re competing with Coca-Cola, orange juice and milk,” she said.

“I was at this party once and there was a whole wall of wine coolers,” said Dan Haag, a 16-year-old senior of Westfield. “They taste a lot better, so I can see why they might get started on drinking.”

Another concern is the way kids drink, said Lubinski. It’s not like they get together in couples at a cocktail party. Kids don’t drink every day. But when they do, they tend to binge. For many, drinking to intoxication is the norm.