NIH release clinicians guide to screen for underage drinking

From a recent NIH news release:

Based on just two questions from a newly released guide, health care professionals could spot children and teenagers at risk for alcohol-related problems.  Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner's Guide is now available from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. 

We know that alcohol is by far the drug of choice among youth,” says NIAAA acting director Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D. “Underage drinking is also a marker for other unhealthy behaviors and it often goes undetected. This new tool was designed to allow busy practitioners who manage the health and well-being of children and adolescents to conduct fast, effective alcohol screens and brief interventions.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says doctors should routinely screen their teenage patients for drug and alcohol use at every visit, and look for signs of dependence or addiction.  In a new policy statement, the group provides a guide to help doctors ask adolescents about substance abuse issues.

Data support keeping drinking age at 21

To inform the debate on the impact of the minimum legal drinking age law (MLDA), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) compiled an overview of research and findings indicated that the MLDA law had positive effects on health and safety. It states:

Solving the problem of underage drinking will require a broad-based, long-term commitment. As we move forward, we need to pay attention to what history and research have taught us and build on this knowledge base including what we know about the relationship between minimum legal drinking age laws and underage drinking and is consequences.

Recently, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation compiled a brief that offers additional information about the positive effects of the law. It states:

There is no evidence that lowering the MLDA will reduce the underage drinking problem. Conversely, there is strong evidence that lowering the drinking age will increase youthful alcohol consumption and alcohol-related injuries and fatalities.