Category: Behavioral Research

The popular belief is that there is a drinking epidemic among young people. In reality, alcohol drinking by youth continues to drop. Research in more prosperous parts of the world shows “solid evidence” of less drinking by young people since 2005. In fact, surveys in the U.S. and some other countries demonstrate drops in drinking […]

The Drug Resistance Abuse Resistance (DARE) program is a very popular one. Teachers love it because police officers, not they, teach it. Administrators love it because it shows that they’re “doing something” about alcohol and drugs. Police love it because it beats boring patrols and night shifts. Students love it because it’s more interesting than […]

I. Beliefs about Alcohol Policy. Many groups and individuals oppose alcohol monopoly privatization. And public employee unions adamantly fight against it for obvious reasons. In addition, many temperance-oriented groups also strongly oppose increasing the availability of alcohol. That includes limiting the Number of retail stores that can sell alcohol. Days and hours of alcohol sales. […]

The Issue. Young people get their alcohol from many sources. Rarely is it from stores. Most often it’s from their parents and other adults, friends, or siblings. Parents giving alcohol is very common. Many believe that parents giving alcohol to their own children reduces alcohol abuse. They think it’s important to teach moderation by being […]

Alcohol and cognitive control is an important subject. Adolescence is a major period for the development of cognitive control. And most young people begin experimenting with alcohol as they enter adolescence. Cognitive Control Cognitive control is the ability to to choose an appropriate behavior over one that you’ve decided is inappropriate. That is, one that […]

I. The Question. Does drinking alcohol mixed with energy drinks cause more alcohol consumption? Do drinkers feel more intoxicated? Does it lead to more risk-taking behavior? These are important questions. And they’re hotly debated. The concerns have led to laws, regulations, and public policies. Many people and organizations suggest that caffeine in energy drinks can […]

Harm Reduction is often misunderstood. It reduces the harmful effects of any targeted behavior. This discussion focuses on harm reduction for drinking alcohol by young people. However, the general principles also apply to other behaviors by people of any age. These behaviors might be driving, gambling, engaging in sex, losing weight, and so on. For […]

The proportion of young people in the U.S. who drink alcohol has been declining since 1980. In addition, the amount each consumer drinks has also been going down over time. And fewer young people have been binge drinking. Now major research reports that frequent binge drinking has been dropping as well. And it’s been declining […]

DUI courts are effective in reducing the crime of drunken driving (driving while intoxicated or while impaired). These courts are sometimes called DWI courts, sobriety courts, wellness courts, or accountability courts.  New Mexico established the first DUI court in the US in 1995. Now, there are many hundreds. That’s because of the effectiveness of DUI […]

Drugged Driving Increasing. The majority of drivers killed in a crash in the U.S. are tested for alcohol and drugs. This gives officials the chance to compare drugged driving and drunk driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported statistics for the most recent year available, 2015. It found that drugs were present […]