Nevada’s students at high risk of addiction

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2002 | 11:08 a.m.

Nearly a third of Nevada's high school students, who say they first tried alcohol before age 13, are the most likely of their peers to face a lifetime of addiction, according to a national report released today.

A report released this morning by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found individuals who began drinking before age 15 were four times as likely to become dependent on alcohol than those who started drinking at age 21. The highest rate of lifetime alcohol abuse was found among people who began drinking at age 14, the report showed.

The study also found underage drinkers account for 25 percent of the nation's alcohol consumption.

The 2001 Nevada Youth Risk Survey, released last month, found 33 percent of the state's high school students reported drinking alcohol before age 13, compared with 31 percent in Clark County.

The number of Clark County high school students who said they had their first drink before age 13 was down from 38 percent in 1995, said Ron Ross, school district administrative specialist and coordinator of the local youth risk survey.

The risks of alcohol use and techniques for avoiding dangerous situations are taught in the school district's health classes, Ross said. But nothing can replace parental involvement early on, he said.

"There are a host of factors and decisions made that affect when kids take that first drink," Ross said. "We know that when communities, parents and schools get together and ensure the message gets out, underage drinking can go down."

High school students who reported binge drinking in the prior 30 days was 33 percent statewide and 31 percent in Clark County. Nationwide, 31 percent of high school seniors surveyed said they took part in binge drinking at least once a month, the Columbia University report showed.

Columbia University researchers used 1999 data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted every two years by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.