Binge drinking | Addiction Treatment Strategies

Binge or “heavy episodic” drinking is prevalent during adolescence, raising concerns about alcohol’s effects on crucial neuromaturational processes during this developmental period. Heavy alcohol use has been associated with decrements in cognitive functioning in both adult and adolescent populations, particularly on tasks of spatial working memory (SWM). This study examined gender-specific influences of binge drinking on SWM, finding that female teens may be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of heavy alcohol use.
 Results will be published in the October 2011 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical &…

In a systematic review of current evidence published in PLoS Medicine, the authors-Jim McCambridge from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK, and colleagues-conclude that there is enough evidence to recommend that reducing drinking during late adolescence is likely to be important for preventing long-term adverse consequences of drinking, as well as protecting against more immediate harms.
Although there is an urgent need for better studies in this area, research to
date provides some evidence that high alcohol consumption in late adolescence
often continues into adulthood and is associated with long-term…