Welcome to the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center Website.

Binge Drinking Linked to US Death Rates
A University of Washington study indicates that 63,718 deaths could be attributed to alcohol use (2000), which is 4% of all deaths for males and 1.5% of all deaths for females. Motor vehicle crashes were the most frequent cause of death for binge drinkers, according to the study. “In contrast to many other causes of death, deaths from alcohol are due to preventable, high-risk behaviors”, stated Dr. Frederick Rivara, the principle investigator for the study. For more information on this study, go to: http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=5253&Search=Binge%20Drinking.

International Studies Related to Underage Drinking
Binge Drinking Episodes and Dementia Potential
A Finnish study found that dementia is connected to repeated use of alcohol to the point of drunkenness. The threat for dementia later in life is tripled when a large amount of alcohol is drunk on one occasion per month, despite periods of non-alcohol use in between. The study also points out that individuals who pass out due to alcohol use at least twice a year are at 10 times greater risk to develop mental illness. The overall message from the study is that it is not necessarily the amount of alcohol consumed, but the pattern of drinking that influences dementia. To read the full text and to see further information on this study, log on to: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051130/hl_afp/finlandhealthdrinkalcoholresearch_051130150528

Lowering the Drinking Age and Car Crashes
According to a study based on data from New Zealand, conducted by Robert Voas, Ph.D., at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, lowering the drinking age increases car crashes among youth. The study found that the rate of traffic crashes and injuries increased 12% for 18-19 year old males and 14% among 15-17 year old males in the four years before and after the New Zealand legislature lowered the drinking age to 18. For females, rates rose 51% for 18-19 year olds and 24% for 15-17 year olds. The study estimated that 400 serious injuries and 12 deaths each year among 15-19 year olds would not occur if New Zealand raised their minimum legal drinking age. Currently, there are five U.S. States that have legislation pending to lower their minimum legal drinking age. This study will be published in the January 2006 edition of the Journal of American Public Health.

January Audio-Teleconference Call
Alcohol is a major problem on university campuses and often turns up as a factor in cases of vandalism, physical and sexual assault, and poor academic performance. A “dry campus,” by definition prohibits alcohol at any university-owned property, as well as at any school-sponsored event, be it off-campus or on-campus. A conventional counter-argument to a dry campus policy has been that if alcohol is banned on campus, then students will increase off-campus consumption. The audio call will address research on Dry and Wet campuses and environmental strategies used to address their challenges and accomplishments. You can register for this month’s call at www.udetc.org/Registration.asp.

To print a hard-copy of this month’s Resource Alert and view it’s flyers, click on the following link: www.udetc.org/documents/ResourceAlerts/ResourceAlert0106.pdf.