If historic trends hold, between 5 and 15 San Bernardino youth will land in the emergency room this year as a result of alcohol poisoning. Others will be injured in car crashes, engage in risky sexual behavior and become victims of violent or sexual crimes.

These statistics show the serious health effects alcohol is having on local youth.

“Today’s youth just don’t understand how drinking alcohol can negatively affect their health and even possibly their future development,” said Jan Serrano, trauma coordinator for Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. “Sadly, we see the consequences of their poor choices far too often.”  » More

Bonnie J. Nagel, Ph.D., nagelb@ohsu.edu; Megan Herting, B.S., hertingm@ohsu.edu
Researchers know that adolescents with a family history of alcoholism (FHP) are at risk for developing alcohol use disorders. Some studies have shown that, compared to their peers, FHP adolescents have deficits in behavioral inhibition. A study of the neural substrates of risk-taking in both FHP adolescents and their peers with a negative family history of alcoholism (FHN) has shown that FHP youth demonstrated atypical brain activity while completing the same task as the FHN youth.

Results will be published in the April 2012 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.  » More

Wonderful blog post. Someone also commented on this, but I especially love this line, "When you are the center of your own universe and too inebriated to see the next closest planet, you shouldn’t comment on its life forms." Read Full Article » More

By LARRY ESKRIDGE of the Daily Ledger
CANTON — The cost of underage drinking and ways to reduce it provided the focus of a town hall meeting Tuesday at the Donaldson Center in Wallace Park, sponsored by SADD/SWAT, the Coalition for Wise Choices, the Making Wise Choices program, the YWCA, the YMCA, and United in Jesus Outreach Ministries.

District 66 Superintendent Roy Webb said he was pleased to see such a large turnout, noting he believed so many people came because there was a concern about young people in the area.  » More

First reactions to news that Erie residents suffer from a high rate of depression might be to either dismiss the findings or jest about the results. After all, many of us have so much affection for our hometown that thousands of people flocked to a new Facebook group, "You might be from Erie Pa IF," to share fond memories about Erie's special foods, beautiful peninsula, quirky characters and endearing traits. » More

By MIKAELA CONLEY
The Fourth of July is one of the worst days of the year for teenage boys to drink -- and get hurt.

A new study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, found that underage males visit the emergency room twice as much during Fourth of July weekend than the rest of the month.  » More