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    Youth ER Visits for Alcohol-Related Problems Spike During Holiday Weekend

    a By Mithra Salmassi
    May 2010

    Everyone loves a Memorial Day weekend party, but a new study suggests that some kids are having more holiday ’fun’ than they should.

    Underage-drinking related visits to hospital emergency rooms are 11 percent higher on the typical Memorial Day weekend than on normal days, according to a new study (PDF) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  Also, ER visits for problems associated with combined alcohol and other drug use by those under age 21 are 27 percent higher over the holiday weekend.

    Youth alcohol-related admissions over the three-day weekend average 577 daily, compared to 519 on a typical day. Admissions for combined use of alcohol and other drugs average 199 visits, compared to 156 normally.

    The data are from SAMHSA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN).