Acute alcohol intoxication in adolescents before and after the Dutch alcohol law change

The present study aims to explore hospital admission data pertaining to Dutch adolescents admitted for acute alcohol intoxication between 2007 – 2019. Specific focus will be on the increase in the age limit for alcohol nationwide, from 16 to 18 years old for low alcoholic beverages, on the first of January 2014. The data of all admitted adolescents < 18 years old with acute alcohol intoxication was collected from 12 Dutch major district general hospitals (which accounts for 35% of the adolescents with acute alcohol intoxication in the Netherlands). In total, 2675 adolescents who were treated with symptoms of acute alcohol intoxication during this period were included in this study. The incidence of adolescents presenting with acute alcohol intoxication between 2007 and 2019 increased significantly (n = 78 (2007) vs. 279 (2019)). Moreover, the mean age of this population increased significantly over time. In 2007, 62,8% of the adolescents were < 16 years old, whereas by 2019 this had dropped to 40.2%. Furthermore, the proportion with positive drug screening results also increased significantly within patients with acute alcohol intoxication after the alcohol law change in 2014. The most common drug found in the drug screening was cannabis. These findings are relevant for both the central government’s ongoing prevention initiatives and treatment strategies within hospitals.