Doubts cast on teenage drink study

NEW research suggesting teens who drink small amounts of alcohol risk future alcohol abuse has been greeted with scepticism by local experts.

The study by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne tracked 1520 young people’s drinking habits over more than 10 years from their mid-teens. The findings conflict with national guidelines suggesting there are low risk levels in drinking for under-18s.

Barry Evans, of The Buttery drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre at Binna Burra, said the publicly-released details of the Murdoch study were too vague to support its bold claims.

“It would help to better understand the research outcomes if other variables, such as amount, frequency and social circumstances, were given,” he said.

Official guidelines from the National Health and Medical Research Council define ‘low risk’ drinking for adults as fewer than three standard drinks a day. The Murdoch researchers found that even at this level, teens increased their chances of alcohol abuse, social or legal problems, or alcohol-related high-risk sexual behaviours 10 years later.

Northern Rivers woman Georgie, who asked to have her surname withheld and who has won her own battles with drug and alcohol problems, said the amount a teenager drank did not necessarily point to a future drinking problem.

“My opinion is that often when teens drink the ones that drink to make themselves feel normal usually have problems later on; while the ones that throw up and say ‘this tastes disgusting’, and have normal reactions to the poison (alcohol), usually don’t,” she said.