erebus Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 If you want your kids to stay away from drugs, then you might want to keep teenagers off alcohol because a new study says that long term drug abuse is likely to occur due to alcohol, not marijuana, use. The present study included data on more than 14,500 high-school students from 120 schools across U.S. The data was obtained from Monitoring the Future study. Researchers analyzed the data to find out what substances were being tried by students. They checked for use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, amphetamines, tranquilizers and other narcotics. Alcohol was the first substance to be tried by students, the results showed. http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20120711/10771/alcohol-addiction-marijuana-drugs.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Parents should know that a strict, zero-tolerance policy at home is best. Increasing alcohol-specific rules and decreasing availability will help prevent an adolescent’s alcohol use. The longer that alcohol initiation is delayed, the more likely that other drug or substance use will be delayed or prevented as well," he said. This directly conflicts with evidence from Europe where it's normal for children to be given watered alcohol with meals from a relatively young age. Perhaps the difference being that because it isn't made out as taboo and something that only adults are allowed to do, children and teens aren't all that interested. They have a drink if they want one, but the whole binge drinking problem and alcohol related social problems that the UK experiences are far less prevalent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 hmmm the quote is "Alcohol was the first substance to be tried by students". They are actually claiming that if you delay the first drug being introduced the next drug to be taken will be delayed. It does not claim that drug use is due to alcohol use at all from what I can see. It seems to be a pointless study and I would go for the european version as well! Who paid for this study? Also does it distinguish between shots of vodka and a glass of wine with a meal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamatron Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 If you want your kids to stay away from drugs, then you might want to keep teenagers off alcohol because a new study says that long term drug abuse is likely to occur due to alcohol, not marijuana, use. The present study included data on more than 14,500 high-school students from 120 schools across U.S. The data was obtained from Monitoring the Future study. Researchers analyzed the data to find out what substances were being tried by students. They checked for use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, amphetamines, tranquilizers and other narcotics. Alcohol was the first substance to be tried by students, the results showed. http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20120711/10771/alcohol-addiction-marijuana-drugs.htm The more I read this sentence the funnier it becomes. I can't imagine there are many people that would try cocaine and LSD before they have tried wine:hihi: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I didn’t think it mattered what you use, if you are predisposed genetically to become addicted you are very likely to become addicted, if you don’t have the genes then you are unlikely to become addicted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olive Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I didn’t think it mattered what you use, if you are predisposed genetically to become addicted you are very likely to become addicted, if you don’t have the genes then you are unlikely to become addicted. I didn't think that a genetic link had been proven though? I know lots of experts think it might be a factor, but I didn't think there was conclusive evidence. Would like to know if there is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 The more I read this sentence the funnier it becomes. I can't imagine there are many people that would try cocaine and LSD before they have tried wine:hihi: It doesn't actually appear to make any claim about the early experimentation with alcohol and subsequent substance abuse in later life. But that could just be down to bad reporting from the media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I didn't think that a genetic link had been proven though? I know lots of experts think it might be a factor, but I didn't think there was conclusive evidence. Would like to know if there is. There are definitely genes which make people susceptible to psychological addiction, but MrSmith ignores the fact that some drugs are physically addictive. Genetics makes little difference if you experiment with heroin, you will almost certainly become addicted. And nicotine is even more addictive than that, hence being so hard to quit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 There are definitely genes which make people susceptible to psychological addiction, but MrSmith ignores the fact that some drugs are physically addictive. Genetics makes little difference if you experiment with heroin, you will almost certainly become addicted. And nicotine is even more addictive than that, hence being so hard to quit. Common Genes Tied To Alcohol, Nicotine, Cocaine Addictions Nicotine Addiction and Your Genes The Genetics of Addiction Genetics of Addiction Why do some people become addicted, while others do not? Studies of identical twins indicate that as much as half of an individual's risk of becoming addicted to nicotine, alcohol, or other drugs depends on his or her genes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 if you are predisposed genetically to become addicted you are very likely to become addicted, if you don’t have the genes then you are unlikely to become addicted. Why do some people become addicted, while others do not? Studies of identical twins indicate that as much as half of an individual's risk of becoming addicted to nicotine, alcohol, or other drugs depends on his or her genes. These are quite different statements. It's interesting reading though. I wonder what 'as much as half their risk' means. If the risk of becoming addicted to nicotine is 90% each time it's used for someone with the 'wrong' genetics, then does this mean that it's only 45% for someone with the 'right' genetics? If you look at the long term cumulative chance of becoming addicted it trends towards 100% very quickly for both types. For example (if it's this simple), at a 45% chance of becoming addicted with each use, use it 5 times and the chance of becoming addicted is 1 - (.55^5) = 0.95 (95%). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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