[Increasing number of teenagers with alcohol intoxication admitted to hospital: result of successful treatment approach rather than an increasing problem].

Admissions of adolescents with acute alcohol intoxication to Dutch hospitals have been increasing since 2003. This trend has been attributed mainly to changes in drinking practices of adolescents. However, research shows a declining trend in binge drinking among Dutch teenagers. It is argued that the rise in admissions is primarily the result of a successful intervention initiated around 2003 by the Dutch Paediatric Surveillance Centre (NSCK), which has raised awareness of the problems related to underage drinking and has led the public to call for medical attention for a comatose youngster more rapidly. The rhetorical presentation of adolescent drinking as a growing problem runs the risk of inflating this problem, with moral antecedents, not uncommon when professionals deal with behaviour-related health issues. Rather than blaming the problematic drinker, the positive effects of this innovative approach should be emphasized.