Teen binge drinking is major concern, says NDC

| 27/05/2011

(CNS): In the wake of the recent results of the student drug survey, the National Drug Council executive director says one of the major concerns for the organisation is the issue of binge drinking, which can be more dangerous to the individuals and society as a whole than even persistent heavy drinking. Although the NDC said the decline in the number of young people using drugs or alcohol was positive data to report, the evidence of an increase in binge drinking among students that were using drugs and drink poses significant risks. The survey found that students having had a drinking session where they had more than five drinks in one sitting had double compared to previous research.

32.1% of students in 2010 admitted a binge drinking session two weeks before the survey compared to 15.2% in the 2006 research. While overall alcohol use in Cayman was lower when compared to research conducted in Canada and the US, when it came to binging Cayman kids were drinking more heavily than their North American counterparts. While 5% of eighth graders in Canada admitting binging and 8% in the US, 22% of kids in 8th grade here in Cayman said they were binge drinking.

“The NDC does have concerns in regards to alcohol use and binge drinking as we know binge drinking poses significant risk to the body and to society as a whole,” the executive director of the NDC Joan West-Dacres said about the findings.

She said that expert studies have revealed that it's not chronic heavy drinkers who have the highest risk of alcohol-related injuries but moderate drinkers who sometimes drink heavily who are more like to suffer injuries, especially while they are drinking. Research reveals that at highest risk in both sexes are those who usually consume moderately but sometimes binge drink.

The NDC also noted that according to the centre for disease control and prevention binge drinking is associated with many health problems, from sexually transmitted diseases to a catalogue of cardiovascular diseases. Un-intential injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence, unintended pregnancy are all associate with binge drinking as well as the obvious issues of alcohol poisoning, liver disease and aggravation of diabetes.

West-Dacres stated that the key to addressing the issue lay with education. “We know that the more awareness and education that is provided, students have a greater opportunity to make better choices,” she said.

To keep young people off drugs (including drink) there needs to be “vigorous, ongoing and comprehensive education and prevention programmes in our schools and in our communities” to provide families, groups and organisations with the information to help young people make healthy choices. “Children should be provided with age appropriate materials and information from a very young age,” the executive director added.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    A polar bear walks into a bar and says "I'll have………………………….a gin……………….and…………………………………………………………………tonic"

    The bartender says "sure, but why the big pauses"?

    The polar bear shrugs "I was born with them"

  2. Anonymous says:

    i didn't start drinking till i was 18….big regret of mine, I wish i started earlier!

    • Anonymous says:

      I can see you have no brains in your head.  I think the parents of the indiviudals that got killed by drunk teenagers or killed themselves, wished their teenagers thought about drinking.  Of course there are adults who do the same, but afterall they are adults.  You are an a…..h……

  3. Anonymous says:

    aye…it that time of the year again… time for a 'teen drinking' headline…. the ndc definitly to a god job of being busy looking busy….

     

  4. Anonymous says:

    First of all, it is a problem that has been around since I was a teenager (20 odd years ago) it really isn't a new problem.

    Secondly, it isn't a problem isolated to Cayman, it is a problem all over the world

    Thirdly,even the kids that grow up with the right supervision, morals and values will eventually drink, get drunk, or have at least one "binge drinking session". It is called the teenage rebellios years and caving in to peer pressure.

    Lastly, stop saying there is good news because there is a decline in drug use. Instead, face the fact that there is an increase of kids lying on those surveys.

     

  5. Jungle Juice says:

    How do you "binge drink" with light beer? Jungle Juice is where its at!

  6. I'm On the Nightrain says:

    Is that what the kids are drinking these days? Lights beers? They should be ashamed of themselves. Back in the day when kids knew how to party we would ride the Train and fly the Bird.

    These kids are slackers.

    Love that stuff.

  7. Anonymous says:

    This is simply the tip of the iceberg, these kids learn their drinking habits at home and alcohol is a huge problem within the country.

    • Anonymous says:

      actually, a huge problem in the world

      • Al Cowhol says:

        It's not a problem here thank goodness – there's plenty to drink here, and not that light beer crap either!   Anyway…

        My friends used to say I had a drinking problem, but as soon as I got new friends it went away!

        You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on.

        When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.

        Twas a woman who drove me to drink, and I never had the courtesy to thank her for it.

        An Irishman, a Italian and a priest walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What is this, some kind of joke?”

        A dog with his foot wrapped in a bloody bandage hobbles into a Western saloon. He pushes up to the bar and announces: “I’m looking for the man that shot my paw.”

        • Uncle Huey says:

          A man walked in to a bar, ouch.

          • Al Cowhol says:

            A dude with dyslexia walks into a bra…

            A goldfish flops into a pub and looks at the barkeep. The bartender asks, “What can I get you?” The goldfish says, “Water.”

            A grasshopper walks into a bar. The barman says, “We’ve got a drink named after you.” The grasshopper says, “Really? You’ve got a drink named Kevin?”

            A drunken man staggers in to a Catholic church and sits down in a confession box and says nothing. The bewildered priest coughs to attract his attention, but still the man says nothing. The priest then knocks on the wall three times in a final attempt to get the man to speak.  Finally, the drunk replies: "No use knocking' mate, there's no paper in this one either."

            Over to you…

            • Uncle Huey says:

              A horse walks in to a bar. The bartender asks, "Why the long face?"

              • Anonymous says:

                a termite walks into a tavern and asks "is the bar tender here?"

                • Al Cowhol says:

                  A man walks into a bar owned by horses. The bartender says, "Why the short face?"

                  A guy walks into a bar with a piano entertainer, sits down and orders a beer. The piano player's monkey soon jumps on the bar and urinates in the guy's beer. The guy yells to the piano player, "Hey, do you know your monkey just peed in my beer?" The piano player says, "No, but if you hum a few bars, I might remember it!"

                  A corn stalk walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Wanna hear a good joke?" The corn stalk says, "I'm all ears!"

                  Descartes walks into a bar. The bartender asks, "Would you like a beer?" Descartes replies, "I think not", then disappeared.

                  A man walks into a bar and says, "Give me a beer before problems start!" Again, the man orders a beer again saying, "Give me a beer before problems start!" The bartender looks confused. This goes on for a while, and after the fifth beer the bartender is totally confused and asks the man, "When are you going to pay for these beers?" The man answers, "Ah, now the problems start!" 

                  A guy walks into a bar, sits down and hears a small voice say, "You look nice today." A few minutes later he again hears a small voice, "That's a nice shirt." The guy asks the bartender, "Who is that?" The bartender says, "Those are the peanuts. They're complimentary!"

                  A man walked into a bar holding an alligator. He asked the bartender, "Do you serve lawyers here?" The bartender said, "Yes, we do!" "Good," replied the man. "Give me a beer, and I'll have a lawyer for my alligator." 

                  A skeleton walks into a bar and says, "Gimme a beer… and a mop."

                  • Uncle Huey says:

                    A Cuban walks in to a bar with a parrot on his shoulder, the bartender asks, "Where did you get that from?" The parrot replies, "Miami, there's frikkin millions of them."

                     

                     

  8. Anonymous says:

    It has been said time and time again, over and over again…..minors are getting into clubs and drinking, parents leave their minors having a party at their house with no supervision.  It starts somewhere doesn't it???? Where are they getting the alcohol?????? From home? From the clubs and of course friends who are of age to drink….but parents really need to step up on where their underage child is after hours…..