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Older college students are more likely to drink and drive than younger ones, probably because they have more access to cars, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

• Amelia Arria and her colleagues tracked 1,253 students through their four-year college careers.
• They found that although freshman drink more than upperclassmen, students who are over 20 years old are more likely to drive while intoxicated and to be passengers in cars with drunk drivers.
• 25 percent of the 21-year-olds said they had driven drunk, compared to 20 percent of 20-year-olds.

"Our findings call into question the assertion of some advocates who claim that lowering the drinking age to 18 would be a useful strategy for reducing harm associated with alcohol consumption," Arria wrote in a report published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
 

Labels: drinking, driving

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments

More evidence has emerged linking alcohol abuse and brain damage. People who repeatedly drive and drink have "brain problems" and score below average on tests that measure the ability to make good decisions, according to a new study from Turkey.

• Professors David Nutt and Muzaffer Kasar administered tests to 34 men who had two convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol and who were in alcohol rehabilitation.
• They gave the same tests to 31 non-offenders who were matched to the other group by age, education, and alcohol use.
• The ones with the DUI convictions scored poorly on tests that measure real life decision-making.
• However, both groups scored about the same on tests of neuropsychological functioning, temperament, and character.

"These findings suggest that second time DUI offenders do not suffer from motor impulsiveness -- that is, a lack of impulse control in 'here and now' situations," said Dr. Nutt. "They suffer from cognitive impulsiveness which depends on associating negative experiences with positive negative consequences."

The study appears in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
 

Labels: brain damage, driving

Posted By: Teen Drug Help 0 Comments