NCJ Number
216245
Journal
Journal of Adolescence Volume: 29 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 845-849
Date Published
October 2006
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study examined binge drinking among high-risk male and female adolescents in Israel who were from alternative schools and programs.
Abstract
Study findings found that the median age of initial alcohol use among adolescent participants was 13 for beer and wine and 15 for hard liquor. In response to having had five or more alcohol beverages in one drinking occasion, 27 percent of the youth reported binge drinking (33 percent males and 23 percent females). Results regarding other alcohol behavior showed 15 percent were in a car during the past month when the driver had been drinking and 9 percent drove a car or motorcycle when they had been drinking. Multiple regression analysis showed binge drinking related to what a youth did with time; a decline in relations with family members; selling drugs; and, having been in a serious fight during the last 12 months. Under age drinking costs countries billions of dollars annually in losses that result from traffic accidents and fatalities, violent crime, and other behaviors affecting the well-being of young people. In Israel, minimal research exists on adolescent alcohol use. This study examined binge drinking and related problem behaviors among high-risk male and female adolescents. The study consisted of a sample of 917 youth in Israel who ranged from 12 to 18 years of age. Table, references