1 / 26

Alcohol use by Irish Children

Alcohol use by Irish Children. Sept 2010 Dr Bobby Smyth. Content. Adolescent development Rates of alcohol use by children Why we worry about children drinking. Adolescent Development. Confidence Competence. Why teenagers mess up?. Aristotle ( 384 BC – 322 BC )

Download Presentation

Alcohol use by Irish Children

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Alcohol use by Irish Children Sept 2010 Dr Bobby Smyth

  2. Content • Adolescent development • Rates of alcohol use by children • Why we worry about children drinking

  3. Adolescent Development Confidence Competence

  4. Why teenagers mess up? • Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC ) “Youth are heated by nature as drunken men by wine”

  5. The Adolescent brain – a work in progressGiedd et al, 1999, Nature Neuroscience, 2, 861-863 http://www.nimh.nih.gov/press/prbrainmaturing.cfm

  6. …..nevertheless most do fine But is it really different now……..

  7. Entering the world of alcohol earlier

  8. Expenditure by Irish teens

  9. Spend on Alcohol * Census 2006

  10. ESPAD 2007 - Alcohol among Irish 15-16yo • In the past year, due to their alcohol use • 17% had suffered an accident or injury • 14% reported negative impact on school work • 14% reported serious problems with friends • In the past month • 28% of girls have bought spirits on-premises • 27% of girls have bought spirits in off-licence • Drunkenness • By age 13, 16% have been drunk at least once • At 16, 26% drunk in past month

  11. Alcohol as ‘gateway drug’ %

  12. Parental concern • 90% concerned if their son/daughter to drink 4 pints on one night per month • Wealthier parents are the most permissive • Smyth et al (2010) BMC Public Health, 10(1):297.

  13. Alcohol and Accidental Deaths Bellis M, Bolster MA & Doyle CT. (2009) The Role of Alcohol in Deaths Presenting to the Coroner’s Service in Cork City & County. Ir Med J, 102, 13-15.

  14. Confidence Competence mismatch • Alcohol (and drugs) has the effect of increasing confidence while simultantaneously reducing competence • To paraphrase Aristotle, many Irish youth are heated by nature AND by wine, alcopops, Smirnoff, Budweiser…. • Hence, accidents happen………

  15. Council on Scientific AffairsAmerican Medical Association "Underage alcohol is associated with brain damage and neurocognitive deficits, with implication for learning and intellectual development" Zeigler DW et al (Preventive Medicine, 2004)

  16. At what age is that Irish people loose their ability to have the ‘craic’ without alcohol?

  17. Moral language and discourse around alcohol “Drink Responsible” “Drink Moderate” “Drink Sensibly”

  18. Young Irish Adults • Young adults, mean age 21yo • 22% Alcohol dependent • A further 14% alcohol abuse • Nobody described themselves as “Drinking heavily” *Cleary et al, Irish J Psych Med (2007), 24, 139-144

  19. What do Irish Children like to drink

  20. Burden of proof • Burden lies with those who profit from alcohol to prove to us that what they do causes no harm.

  21. The College of Psychiatry of Ireland

More Related