Resources: Underage alcoholism

Most all the sites below mention the confusing morass of other Web sites dedicated to treating young people with alcohol addiction. Various federal, state, and local groups, private charities, and treatment facilities all have sites that try to clear up the confusion. Unfortunately, there is not a clear consensus on alcoholism treatment, teen or otherwise. Recent studies suggest that treating it as a brain-based disease treatable with medicine works. Others say that alcoholism can be beaten by willpower, support from friends and family, and education. Still others try to shock teens from drinking, or offer a variety of cessation facilities. Hopefully, if you have a patient who needs help with alcohol, one of these sites may provide that help.

The Addiction Project: http://www.hbo.com/addiction/
A free documentary and online resource from HBO, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Al-Anon/Alateen: http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/
Odds are that a teen who drinks isn't the only one in the family. Families with a member with a drinking problem can find comfort and support here, based on the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program.

The Cool Spot: http://www.thecoolspot.gov/
Created by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for kids 11 to 13.

Drinking: It Can Spin Your World Around: http://www.familydoctor.org/273.xml
From the American Academy of Family Physicians.

FreeVibe's Alcohol page: http://www.freevibe.com/Drug_Facts/alcohol.asp
Funded by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.

Health Effects of Teen Alcohol Use: http://www.teendrugabuse.us/teensandalcohol.html
Run by the same group behind Teen Help, offering guidance to teens on tough topics.

Kids Health on Alcohol: http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/alcohol.html
A site with physician-approved content for kids, sponsored by the Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media.

MADD: http://www.madd.org/
Working not just to stop drinking while driving, but underage drinking entirely.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University: http://www.casacolumbia.org/
According to CASA, "a child who reaches age 21 without smoking, abusing alcohol or using drugs is virtually certain never to do so."

Robert Perkinson Teen Alcoholism: http://www.robertperkinson.com/teen-alcoholism.htm
Dr. Perkinson is the clinical director of the Keystone Treatment Center, and has decades of experience treating teen substance abuse.