Alcohol mixed with other drugs proves popular with students : Melbourne Indymedia

Old research has already found many high school children are increasing the risks of drug use by mixing different substances.

The Community Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (CDARC) says mixing alcohol and drugs was already common, with cigarettes and alcohol the most likely combination.

About one in five senior high school students have used the two drugs at the same time.

CDARC spokesman Paul Honest says media campaigns currently do not focus enough on the issue of polydrug use.

"We tend to focus on a particular drug at a particular time and we look at the dangers associated with that," he said.

"The mixes are often very unpredictable so we can't give very strong messages about the possible consequences of mixing accept death statistics."

"We do tend to talk about drugs in isolation, which is not neccesarily a good thing to do."

"When are we going to get warning labels on that dangerous drug alcohol?"

"Don't take alcohol with anything it's mad mans broth," he said.

Related:

Dangers of kids drinking
by Dr Herb Johnson

A research team from Boston University analysed the results of a 2001-2002 survey of 43,000 adults and found that 47% of people who had started drinking before the age of 14 met criteria for alcohol dependence within 10 years, compared to 4% of those who started drinking at the age of 21.

http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/17197

Cancer warnings needed on alcohol, Salvation Army says

"We actually print the labels here, put them on the alcohol, send it overseas to these countries, yet we don't do that for our own citizens," he said.

http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/23427

Study finds half of pregnant women drink

New Australian research has found almost half of all pregnant women drink alcohol during pregnancy.

Researchers from the Telethon Institute in Perth interviewed almost 5,000 women 12 weeks after delivery.

Report author Lyn Colvin found half the pregnancies were unplanned and many women drank in the three months before conceiving.

Ms Colvin says there are no known safe levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1834950.htm

A study of Australian high school children shows parents are giving alcohol to children as young as 12 on a regular basis.

The study of Australian high school students finds 40 per cent were given alcohol by their parents, and that includes children aged 12 to 15.

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre spokesman Paul Dillon says they are concerned about the figures and want the Federal Government to introduce guidelines for parents.

The findings back up a study released earlier this year that showed Australian children were three times more likely to binge drink than their American counterparts.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1835504.htm