Alcohol Res Health. 2004;28(3):111-20.
Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth, often with devastating consequences. Alcohol is a leading contributor to injury death, the main cause of death for people under age 21. Drinking early in life also is associated with an increased risk of developing an alcohol use disorder at some time during the life span. Data consistently indicate that rates of drinking and alcohol-related problems are highest among White and American Indian or Alaska Native youth, followed by Hispanic youth, African Americans, and Asians. Prevalence rates of drinking for boys and girls are similar in the younger age groups; among older adolescents, however, more boys than girls engage in frequent and heavy drinking, and boys show higher rates of drinking problems. This article summarizes research on the epidemiology of youth drinking, including the consequences of youthful drinking, risk and protective factors and drinking trajectories, and information on special populations at particular risk for drinking-related problems.
酒精是青少年首选的毒品，常常会带来毁灭性后果。酒精是伤害死亡的主要诱因，是21岁以下人群死亡的主要原因。早年饮酒还与一生中某个时候患上酒精使用障碍的风险增加有关。数据始终表明，白人以及美国印第安人或阿拉斯加原住民青少年的饮酒率和与酒精相关的问题最高，其次是西班牙裔青少年、非裔美国人以及亚裔。在较年轻的年龄组中，男孩和女孩的饮酒患病率相似；然而，在年龄较大的青少年中，频繁大量饮酒的男孩多于女孩，而且男孩出现饮酒问题的比率更高。本文总结了关于青少年饮酒流行病学的研究，包括青少年饮酒的后果、风险和保护因素以及饮酒轨迹，以及有关特别容易出现与饮酒相关问题的特殊人群的信息。
