2006年VOA标准英语-Early Drinking is Linked to a Higher Risk of Al

By Carol Pearson
Washington, D.C.
17 July 2006
 
watch Alcoholism report

Most adult alcoholics² in the United States began drinking before the age of 21.  That's the result of a new survey of 43,000 Americans. 

Teenage girls in a bar  
  
"I think girls my age drink pretty much every weekend." That’s what one young girl says. If it is true, then the girls who drink are in trouble.

A recent study by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism shows the younger a person is when he or she starts drinking, the greater the risk of alcohol dependency as an adult.

Ralph Hingson was the lead author of the study. "What we found was not only are those who start early more likely to develop dependence³, they develop it more rapidly."

Ralph Hingson  
  
The study says children who start drinking alcohol before they are 14 have a drastically higher risk of having an alcohol problem than those who start when they are 21. Nearly half of all alcoholics start drinking before the age of 21. Two-thirds start by the time they are 25.

Hingson says when children or young people are allowed to drink, even at dinner with their parents, their risk of developing a dependency increases. He says this is true regardless of nationality or educational level. "And we found that those who start to drink at a younger age are likely to have features of chronic⁴ relapsing dependence."

"They are more likely to have longer episodes of dependence,” continued Hingson. “And they are more likely to have multiple episodes.  They are more likely to have dependence during any year of their life.  And they are more likely to meet dependence criteria⁵."

 
Carolyn Panzer 
  
Another study, this one funded by U.S. distillers, shows that women and girls are more at risk for alcoholism. Diageo North America is a major producer of alcoholic¹ drinks.

Company Vice⁶ President Carolyn Panzer says, "The research shows that women are more affected⁷ by alcohol than men.  We have a lower tolerance⁸ to alcohol because of our body weight.  And so we feel the effects of intoxication⁹ sooner from the exact same amount of alcohol."

 
Sylvia Rimm
  
Parents play a key role in preventing their children from developing an alcohol dependency says psychologist Sylvia Rimm.  "We have solid research that says when parents are clear to their kids about not drinking, they are much less likely to drink."

The study team led by Ralph Hingson concluded that adults need to help children and young people postpone¹⁰ drinking alcohol.  Researchers now want to find out whether programs that encourage children and young adults to postpone the age when they take that first drink affects the levels of adult alcoholism.

Some video courtesy of The Century Council
Some video courtesy of Journal of The American Medical Association
Some video courtesy of Diageo North America

1 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

2 Alcoholics   

n.嗜酒者，酒鬼( alcoholic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many alcoholics go on drinking sprees that continue for days at a time. 许多酒鬼一次要狂饮好几天。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Do you have a copy of the Alcoholics Anonymous book? 你手上有戒酒匿名会的书吗？ 来自互联网

3 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

4 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

5 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

9 intoxication   

n.wild excitement;drunkenness；poisoning

参考例句：

• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。
• Predator: Intoxication-Damage over time effect will now stack with other allies. Predator:Intoxication,持续性伤害的效果将会与队友相加。

10 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。