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Teens Who Work More Likely to
Drink Heavily
CALVERTON, Md., Jan. 7, 2004 -- Teens who work more than ten
hours per week are more likely to engage in heavy or "binge"
drinking, according to a recent study by the Prevention
Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and
Evaluation (PIRE). The study results, published in the January
2004 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, are
particularly troubling in light of the recent report to
Congress made by the Institute of Medicine and the National
Research Council which indicated that underage drinking costs
the U.S. more than $53 billion per year in addition to
thousands of personal tragedies and destructive behavior such
as violence, suicide, unwanted pregnancies, sexual assault,
and academic failure. Underage drinking also increases the
likelihood of alcohol abuse and dependency, and other negative
consequences.
"One of the most consistent and troubling discoveries is that
the more adolescents work, the more they drink," says M.J.
Paschall, Ph.D., the author of the study and a research
scientist at the Prevention Research Center of PIRE. He goes
on to explain that while the study indicates that working more
than 10 hours per week significantly increases the risk of
heavy drinking (defined as five or more drinks on one
occasion), working fewer than ten hours per week does not
appear to lead to more drinking.
Dr. Paschall explained that employment increases teens' access
to alcohol through greater personal income, which allows them
to purchase alcohol directly or obtain it indirectly through
others. "Working also means that the teens spend more time
with older peers and adults who drink. This increases their
belief that alcohol use and heavy drinking are common and
socially acceptable," says Dr. Paschall. In 2002 almost 80% of
high school seniors had consumed alcohol at least once in
their lifetime, 50% had consumed alcohol within the past 30
days, and 30% had consumed enough within the past 30 days to
be intoxicated.
The study, which was funded by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse, also found that teens who work more that ten hours per
week have a lower level of school commitment, a lower grade
point average, and are less motivated to attend college than
those who work fewer hours per week. There is evidence that
low school commitment and poor academic performance are at
least partly the result of heavy alcohol use.
About PIRE
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE)
is a leading independent nonprofit organization specializing
in research related to health and social issues and
translating science into practice in solution of real- world
problems. The organization's focus includes individual and
social problems, issues related to public health and safety
and the applications of social policy. Areas of specialty
include: treatment and prevention of drug and alcohol abuse,
driving under the influence, tobacco use, adolescent high-
risk behavior, and the economic costs associated with these
problems.
Source: Pacific Institute for Research and
Evaluation |
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