Some teens drink to escape problems

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A high-risk group of U.S. teens drink to escape problems and deal with anger, as well as the usual reasons teens drink -- to relax, experiment and get thrills.

Study author Donna Coffman of Pennsylvania State University said this group of high-risk students who had multiple reasons to drink were also more likely to begin drinking at an earlier age, more likely to be drunk in the past year and more likely to drink before 4 p.m.

Coffman pointed out that more than three-quarters of high school seniors have already experimented with alcohol, so it is too late to tell them "not to drink," or ask them to wait until they are of legal age.

"Kids who drink to help them deal with anger or frustration issues are not likely to benefit from a prevention program developed for kids who are just experimenting with alcohol," she said in a statement.

The study, published in the journal of the Society for Prevention Research, used data from 1,877 students from the national Monitoring the Future survey, conducted annually.