Alcohol and young people

The global burden of disease from alcohol exceeds that of tobacco in large part because acute consequences of alcohol use lead to death and disability in the younger years of life. There is evidence of a convergence in drinking patterns among the young, towards products marketed to youth cultures and tastes, and associated in developed countries with drinking to intoxication and with acute consequences such as motor vehicle crashes, drowning, and interpersonal violence. It also appears that young people in many countries are beginning to drink at earlier ages, while research in developed countries has found early initiation of alcohol use to be associated with greater likelihood of both alcohol dependence and alcohol-related injury later in life. After a review of available research and statistics on behavioural and physical consequences of alcohol use, the document describes the globalisation of alcohol brands and marketing designed to embed alcohol products and consumption into the lifestyles of young people. Brief profiles of prevalence among young people in Member States in each of the WHO Regions point to the need for standardised monitoring of alcohol use and consequences, and attention is called to WHO’s guidelines for doing this. Educational approaches to prevention of alcohol problems among young people have in and of themselves shown little effect, while brief treatment interventions have shown promise. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of intervention at the community level as well as of policies such as minimum drinking age laws and alcohol taxation. Promotion of alcoholic beverages to young people is inappropriate and dangerous to health. Public health policy makers in Member States as well as international governmental and nongovernmental organisations need to work for the adoption and implementation of a culturally appropriate mix of alcohol control policies to prevent alcohol’s heavy toll on morbidity and mortality among young people and the population at large.