March 14-22, 2010 is National Poison Prevention Week. Excessive drinking can be hazardous to everyone's health, but especially for children and youth who are smaller in stature and weight. Alcohol poisoning is a serious — and sometimes deadly — consequence of consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. According to Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) data, the estimated number of emergency room visits for children/youth between the ages of 12-17 for alcohol alone-related incidents has increased from 46,034 in 2004 to 55,236 in 2008. [To review DAWN data, follow the link for underage drinking, alcohol alone, or alcohol in combination with other drugs.]
The effects of alcohol ingestion are dependent on a person's size, weight, age, and sex, as well as the amount of food and alcohol consumed. Drinking too much too quickly affects respiration, heart rate, and gag reflex and potentially leads to coma and death. A person with alcohol poisoning needs immediate medical attention. Prevention education for very young children is often addressed by addressing alcohol as a poison, with increasing information about the dangers of rapid ingestion as the child matures. With the increasing number of alcohol-related emergency room visits for children 12-17, it appears prudent to teach children and youth about the dangers of rapidly ingesting alcohol. Click
here for information from NIAAA on the developmental aspects of underage alcohol use. [Sources:
NIAAA and
Mayo Clinic. For information on talking with children about the dangers of alcohol, click
here.]
