Brussels (Brussels Morning) – A study from the University of Antwerp found that every weekend, three minors with alcohol poisoning are admitted to Antwerp hospitals. New clinics aim to reduce relapse rates among young drinkers.`
How Common Is Teen Alcohol Poisoning in Antwerp?
Every weekend, Antwerp’s emergency services witness three drunk teenagers die. They usually have more than ten glasses of alcohol. A study from the University of Antwerp indicates that every weekend three minors with alcohol poisoning are brought to an emergency room of an Antwerp hospital. In 2019 the numbers increased, after which there was a drop, possibly due to the lockdown. “Today we are back at the same level”, says researcher Hanna van Roozendaal of the University of Antwerp.
The median age is 16.6 years, the youngest was 11 years. Their blood alcohol level is generally very high, with a median of 1.95. That amounts to almost ten standard glasses of alcohol at the time they are tested, but that is an underestimation. They may have drunk even more.
What Measures Are Taken for Drunk Teenagers in Antwerp?
For the first time in Belgium, they can be guided to an alcohol clinic for minors. Eight teenagers are currently following a course in the ZAS Augustinus in Antwerp. The Netherlands already has twelve such alcohol clinics. After sleeping off the intoxication, patients and their families are not sent home empty-handed. Instead, they receive a six-month outpatient aftercare program and consultations with a child psychologist. This should reduce the chance of relapse.
How Effective is the Dutch Model?
A similar system was set up in 2010 in the Netherlands by Professor Nico Van der Lely, affiliated with the Reinier de Graaf Hospital. “It is crucial to start working with young people in the ‘golden hour’, the first hour after waking up,” says Van der Lely. “We provide them with information about alcohol abuse via interactive websites. Then a psychologist comes by and afterwards, they are contacted for a follow-up conversation.”
How Do Antwerp’s Alcohol Clinics Help Teenagers?
The Dutch approach is bearing fruit. “Where doctors used to see the same young people coming to the emergency room drunk, the relapse rate has been reduced to almost zero,” writes the University of Antwerp. “We are paving the way for the first Flemish alcohol clinic. For funding, we are looking to the federal government.”
What Role Do Parents Play in Teen Alcohol Abuse?
A conclusive problem according to the researchers, is some parents. They feel ashamed or prefer to solve the problem themselves. It also happens that parents minimize admission and are therefore less inclined to enter the aftercare program. “That may have to do with the general view that all young people drink too much sometimes.”
