title: Hazardous alcohol levels in adolescents are underestimated by barkeepers and security personnel.
abstract: Drunkenness among adolescents represents a significant problem and is associated with adverse consequences. A Licensing Act, which prohibits the dispensing of alcoholic beverages to visibly intoxicated individuals, was introduced in Germany to curb excessive drinking. The objective of the study was to explore whether it is possible for barkeepers and security personnel to correctly estimate the alcohol level (AL) of adolescents merely based on their outer appearance and self-report. In a commercial dance club, 89 adolescents reported their past and current alcohol consumption and estimated their own AL. Their breath alcohol level was measured with a breathalyzer. The sample was divided into "moderate drinkers" and "binge drinkers." Barkeepers and security personnel spoke to and examined the adolescents in order to estimate the adolescents' AL. Professional staff underestimated the ALs of adolescents in 60.7 % of all cases. Estimates of the personnel showed greater deviations from the measured AL of the adolescents as compared to estimates of the adolescents themselves, especially in the group of binge drinkers (t = 2.764; p = 0.009).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems that adolescents suffer less from observable effects of alcohol, such as sedation or impairment of motor function. Consequently, we do not recommend the application of the Licensing Act to adolescents, but suggest its replacement by other restrictions and prevention measures.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany. mara.wurdak@uni-bamberg.de
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wurdak
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dörfler
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mentz
authors.forename: Anika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wolstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000150:complications; D001944:Breath Tests; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012147:Restaurants / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012637:Security Measures; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce