The present study assessed the effects of ethanol exposure during adolescence or adulthood. We exposed Wistar rats, males or females, to self-administered 8-10% (v/v) ethanol (BINGE group) during the first 2 h of the dark cycle, three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) during postnatal days (PDs) 32-54 or 72-94 (adolescent and adults, respectively). During this period, controls were only handled, and a third (IP) condition was given ethanol intraperitoneal administrations, three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), at doses that matched those self-administered by the BINGE group. The rats were tested for ethanol intake and preference in a two-bottle (24 h long) choice test, shortly before (PD 30 or 70) and shortly after (PD 56 or 96) exposure to the binge or intraperitoneal protocol; and then tested for free-choice drinking during late adulthood (PDs 120-139) in intermittent two-bottle intake tests. Binge drinking was significantly greater in adolescents vs. adults, and was blocked by naloxone (5.0 mg/kg) administered immediately before the binge session. Mean blood ethanol levels (mg/dl) at termination of binge session 3 were 60.82 ± 22.39. Ethanol exposure at adolescence, but not at adulthood, significantly reduced exploration of an open field-like chamber and significantly increased shelter-seeking behavior in the multivariate concentric square field. The rats that had been initially exposed to ethanol at adolescence drank, during the intake tests conducted at adulthood, significantly more than those that had their first experience with ethanol at adulthood, an effect that was similar among BINGE, IP and control groups. The study indicates that binge ethanol drinking is greater in adolescent that in adults and is associated with heightened ethanol intake at adulthood. Preventing alcohol access to adolescents should reduce the likelihood of problematic alcohol use or alcohol-related consequences.

Esta revisión, narrativa y no sistemática, repasa datos y tendencias sobre la prevalencia del consumo de alcohol en niños y adolescentes, con foco en trabajos de la región sur de América Latina; asimismo, describimos algunos factores, y la investigación asociada que los sustenta, que regulan el consumo de alcohol, particularmente en niños y adolescentes. Los datos relevados sugieren que la edad de inicio de consumo de alcohol ha ido bajando a lo largo del tiempo y que las prevalencias de consumo de vida de alcohol han ido aumentando, al igual que el consumo de 4 - 5 tragos por ocasión de consumo. Describimos factores que abren puertas a tratamientos o intervenciones preventivas, destacando como potencialmente provechosas aquellas basadas en normas sociales, las cuales desafían sesgos cognitivos sobre el consumo de sustancias. A diferencia de los factores de personalidad o biológicos, estas creencias son susceptibles de modificación mediante intervenciones económicas y sencillas.