This policy is a revision of the policy posted on July 1, 2001.

POLICY STATEMENT

Published online May 1, 2010
PEDIATRICS Vol. 125 No. 5 May 2010, pp. 1078-1087 (doi:10.1542/peds.2010-0438)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation

FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS

Policy Statement

Alcohol Use by Youth and Adolescents: A Pediatric Concern

Committee on Substance Abuse

Alcohol use continues to be a major problem from preadolescence through young adulthood in the United States. Results of recent neuroscience research have substantiated the deleterious effects of alcohol on adolescent brain development and added even more evidence to support the call to prevent and reduce underaged drinking. Pediatricians should be knowledgeable about substance abuse to be able to recognize risk factors for alcohol and other substance abuse among youth, screen for use, provide appropriate brief interventions, and refer to treatment. The integration of alcohol use prevention programs in the community and our educational system from elementary school through college should be promoted by pediatricians and the health care community. Promotion of media responsibility to connect alcohol consumption with realistic consequences should be supported by pediatricians. Additional research into the prevention, screening and identification, brief intervention, and management and treatment of alcohol and other substance use by adolescents continues to be needed to improve evidence-based practices.

Key Words: alcohol • substance abuse • adolescent brain development • advocacy

Abbreviations: DSM-IV-TR = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision • ADHD = attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder



The following policy statement has been revised:

Alcohol Use and Abuse: A Pediatric Concern
Committee on Substance Abuse
Pediatrics 2001 108: 185-189. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
JAMAHome page
R. Saitz and T. S. Naimi
Adolescent Alcohol Use and Violence: Are Brief Interventions the Answer?
JAMA, August 4, 2010; 304(5): 575 - 577.
[Full Text] [PDF]