ER visits among underage drinkers rise sharply on New Year’s Day, study finds

Underage drinking has been deemed a major public health problem by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now a study says emergency rooms treat more underage drinkers on New Year’s Day than on any other day of the year.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported Thursday an estimated 1,980 emergency room visits involved underage drinkers on New Year’s Day in 2009. That figure was far higher than the daily average of 546 and visits on Memorial Day (676) and the Fourth of July (942).

Why the spike? “Greater access to alcohol, less parental oversight, and mixed messages from parents may fuel surges in underage drinking, which can result in visits to hospital emergency departments (EDs) because of overconsumption or alcohol-involved accidents or injuries.” Click here to read the entire report.

Underage drinking has been defined as anyone younger than 21 drinking alcohol. The CDC outlines the problem here:

“Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience
-School problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades.
-Social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities.
-Legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk.
-Physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses.
-Unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity.
-Disruption of normal growth and sexual development.
-Physical and sexual assault.
-Higher risk for suicide and homicide.
-Alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries, such as burns, falls, and drowning.
-Memory problems.
-Abuse of other drugs.
-Changes in brain development that may have life-long effects.
-Death from alcohol poisoning.”

Check out more from the CDC. And here’s more information and resources from the federal initiative Stop Underage Drinking.