Alcohol use and related harm among older adolescents treated in an emergency department: The importance of alcohol status and college status

Objective: Patients treated in an urban emergency department were studied to determine if college status, gender and having alcohol as a reason for medical treatment were related to alcohol use and related problem behaviors. Method: Patients ages 18-19 years (N = 250; 55% men) who had or had not been drinking alcohol prior to the event that precipitated their medical treatment were assessed on their alcohol use, alcohol-related problems and drug use. Results: There were high levels of alcohol use, tobacco use and other drug use in the sample, regardless of the reason for medical treatment. Analyses consistently showed that patients treated for alcohol-related reasons had more severe drinking patterns and problems than patients who were alcohol negative. Patients not enrolled in college showed similar patterns of alcohol consumption as their college-attending peers, but had more severe alcohol-related behaviors and problems. Few gender differences were found and no interactions were found between gender, alcohol status and college status. Conclusions: Findings indicate that older adolescents who receive medical treatment for alcohol use are not inexperienced drinkers. Furthermore, in this convenience sample, college students did not appear to be at greater risk for substance use or problems. Findings underscore the potential usefulness of alcohol intervention programs for alcohol-involved medical patients, and the need to attend to the alcohol and drug use of nonstudent populations.