The use of alcohol by teenagers not only threatens their present but can also impact their future.
That assessment was offered by David Reynolds during a conference called “Keeping Children Alcohol Free,” sponsored by the American Council on Alcohol Problems (ACAP) Sept. 12 at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham.
Reynolds, a Birmingham physician and clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said alcohol use at a young age not only increases teenagers’ chances of dying young, but also heightens the chances they will have problems with alcohol once they become adults.
“The great majority simply do not have the maturity to use the mind-altering drug alcohol,” Reynolds said. “Indeed many adults do not either.
‘Incredibly important’
“It’s incredibly important for us to keep kids away from alcohol,” Reynolds said.
He cited statistics which indicate alcohol is the second leading cause of death in the United States.
Reynolds also said alcohol contributes to the four leading causes of death in 15- to 19-year-olds: automobile wrecks, suicide, homicide and drowning.
In addition, he said youth who begin drinking before 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependency than those who begin drinking at 21.
Reynolds said those who begin drinking at 14 have a 40 percent chance of becoming alcohol dependent, contrasted with 24.5 percent for teenagers who begin drinking at 17 and 10 percent for those who do not begin drinking until they are 21.
The consequences of drinking at an early age — or any time — was also addressed during a discussion on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). George Van Komen, president of the American Council on Alcohol Problems and chairman of the Alcohol Policy Coalition in Salt Lake City, Utah, said mothers drinking during their pregnancy is the leading cause of mental retardation.
Despite the tragic consequences of alcohol abuse, Van Komen said Christians often face challenges in speaking out on the issue.
Speaking at the conference’s lunch, Van Komen said the work done toward preventing alcohol abuse is often not appreciated by society.
Van Komen told about a friend who worked in prison ministry and often felt his work was not respected.
‘Prisoners of addiction’
“We, too, work with prisoners,” Van Komen said. “These are prisoners of addiction, prisoners that are there by their own sentence.”
Freeing the prisoners of alcohol addiction takes a team effort, he said.
“When we work together on this issue, we can make great progress,” Van Komen said. “Don’t ever feel that your small group or individual voice needs to stay silent.”
Van Komen said “each of us should be actively involved.” But he warned that individuals should be prepared to face opposition from society because of the acceptance alcohol enjoys in our society, despite statistics on its negative consequences.
Alan Blum, family physician and professor of family medicine at The University of Alabama School of Medicine, said alcohol’s effects have not been widely emphasized.
“I don’t think we’ve done a good enough job in getting across to society that drunk driving and underage drinking are not the only problems caused by alcohol,” said Blum, who is also director of The University of Alabama Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society.
The physician said alcohol addiction is not being treated until it is too late because “alcohol issues are not being emphasized in medical schools.” As a result, he said most doctors do not know how to identify alcohol problems.
“Medical education is entirely caught up in pathology,” Blum said.
The church can make a difference in fighting alcohol use by teenagers, according to two Prattville ministers who were part of an effort to combat the problem in their community.
Travis Coleman, pastor of First Baptist Church, Prattville, and Larry Burke, senior pastor of Prattville Wesleyan Church, led one of several workshops on the church’s involvement in fighting alcohol use by teenagers. Held at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham Sept. 12, the gathering, “Keeping Children Alcohol Free,” was sponsored by the American Council on Alcohol Problems (ACAP).
Dan Ireland, executive director of ACAP and Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP), said the abuse of alcohol by teenagers is an issue the church cannot ignore.
“Alcohol is the No. 1 killer of our teenagers,” Ireland said. “Anything that’s dangerous to our kids, we need to be concerned about it.”
Coleman cited several passages from the Bible where Christ called His followers to be compassionate toward those who are hurting and to reach out by helping them.
“Do we get outraged when we see social injustice?” Coleman asked. “Our witness is stronger when we are involved with the community.”
Coleman added that churches should work to influence culture and restructure the community in which they live so they are in harmony with God.
“The church cannot do the ministry and work apart from the community,” Burke said. “We have to look and say, ‘What can we do?’
“I believe the only cure for alcohol or any addiction is the Lord Jesus Christ,” Burke said.
Discussing the effort he and Burke were involved with, Coleman said a task force was formed in Prattville in 1997 to deal with the problem of alcohol, tobacco and drug use among teenagers.
The task force was comprised of parents, ministers, school officials, law enforcement officers, adolescent counselors and a representative of the Alcohol Beverage Control Board Education Division.
Coleman said the objectives of the task force were threefold:
- To develop community awareness about the impact of substance abuse among teens.
- To provide education resources to help parents recognize signs of substance abuse.
- To give support to parents who have children involved in substance abuse.
Since 1997, Coleman said the task force has sponsored school assemblies in Autauga County featuring motivational speakers, workshops for parents, informational luncheons for the area Chamber of Commerce and developed a year-round calendar of events emphasizing alcohol abstinence among teenagers.
Burke said one of the aspects of the initiative involved driving home how alcohol can destroy lives. During one school day, a casket was brought to the local high school, along with parents writing obituaries about their children and a wrecked car being parked outside.
“Kids are faced with the reality that this could happen,” Burke said.
The pastor said a successful task force includes not only the church, but also school officials, law enforcement, counselors and others.
Along with that, he said a task force should include individuals who are knowledgeable and who will not be judgmental. “You want people who are there not to condemn, but help,” Burke said.
Another component of a successful effort dealing with teenagers using alcohol and tobacco involves finding out about their involvement with the substances.
“We got firsthand knowledge of what was happening,” Burke said.
The church — and parents — also have to be willing to understand the problem exists within their congregations.
Nationally known Christian youth speaker Josh McDowell has pointed out there is no difference between church kids and those outside church when it comes to alcohol abuse.
Alcohol and tobacco manufacturers are knowingly producing advertisements appealing to young people, according to professionals.
That indictment was made by several speakers at a conference called “Keeping Children Alcohol Free” held Sept. 12 at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham. The gathering was sponsored by the American Council on Alcohol Problems (ACAP).
“When you look at those ads, they are targeting kids,” said George Van Komen, president of ACAP and chairman of the Alcohol Policy Coalition in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ironically, manufacturers of alcohol and tobacco products do not need revenues from teenagers to realize a profit. But several speakers at the conference indicated the manufacturers target youth to make them lifelong users of their products.
“I guarantee that those products can be sold effectively without targeting young people,” said David Reynolds, a Birmingham physician and clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dan Ireland, executive director of ACAP and Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP), said teenagers drink more often when they begin at a young age. “They [advertisers] are after their future market,” Ireland said.
Maxine Wheeler, training coordinator with the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s Alcohol Awareness Program, said beer and tobacco companies go after teenagers with advertisements that suggest use of their products can improve young people’s social lives and help them deal with their problems.
To that end, Wheeler and Jan Byrne, education coordinator with the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s Alcohol Awareness Program, said the media plants ideas about alcohol use in teenagers’ minds. Byrne said teenagers can readily identify slogans and commercials associated with alcohol and tobacco products.
“They’ll snap them off, one after another,” Byrne said.
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