Daily HealthBeat Tip

Bad break on spring break.

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I�m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

So teens, where do you want to go on spring break?

How about the emergency room?

Prom season and spring break are when many high school students try alcohol � a bad idea any time of year, considering that it�s illegal and leads to car wrecks, among other trouble.

The other trouble includes emergency room visits. The latest yearly total from HHS� Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration � SAMHSA � is that 12- to 20-year-olds had almost 143,000 E-R visits because of alcohol use.

Alcohol also messes up teens� brains. SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie:

"Alcohol can affect the developing adolescent brain. Drinking � bottom line � impairs judgment, impairs memory."

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

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