Mini Males Messed Up Over Holidays

Underage drinking in males dramatically increases over the holidays

(RxWiki News) There's nothing like a reason to party for young men to overdo it on the alcohol front. New drivers and new drunks are typically a dangerous combination.

Over imbibing makes for a dangerous time on the road for all.

A reminder study released before the July Fourth weekend reveals that hospital emergency room visits involving underage drinking in boys doubles during the Fourth of July holiday.

"Beware of young, drunk drivers during the holiday weekend."

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator, Pamela S. Hyde, reports that this study sheds light on the scary truth that a surge in underage drinking occurs during holidays and can turn what should be a time of celebration into a time of tragedy. Hyde recommends that parents make it clear to teens that a holiday drunkfest is dangerous and illegal. This can help minimize the surge of underage drinking. Clear disapproval of alcohol use by kids can go a long way in preventing underage drinking. To help parents create a plan of action, SAMHSA has developed an online tool at http://www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov/.

The SAMHSA report shows that during Independence Day weekend of July 3-5, 2009, there was a daily average of 942 emergency department visits related to alcohol use by people under the age of 21. Sixty-six percent were boys and 32 percent were girls. While there was no increase for girls during the holiday weekend, incidence of visits for boys doubled compared to the rest of the month.

Review Date: 
July 1, 2011