Discussing alcohol: To speak or not to speak?

Say you’re asked to improve public health by designing an intervention that stimulates interpersonal communication, based on the idea that discussing unhealthy behaviors stimulates people to behave in a more healthy way. Would it work and why (or why not)?

Hanneke Hendriks • December 21, 2015

Why risk takers are mostly young

At Leiden University's Brain and Development Lab, Barbara Braams studied adolescents' risk-taking behaviour in connection to the brain's development. Examples of risk-taking behaviour are: drinking a lot of alcohol and acting really funny on your scooter.

Barbara Braams • November 22, 2015

Raising the minimal legal drinking age: the best preventive measure thinkable

Barbara Braams is correct in that there is not one single solution to the problem of young people drinking large quantities of alcohol. Yet, no intervention is as effective in lowering adolescent alcohol use as raising the minimum legal drinking age.

Winifred Gebhardt • February 19, 2014

Underage drinking: Why raising the minimum legal drinking age does not solve the problem

Over the last couple of years over 700 adolescents have been admitted to hospital due to excessive alcohol use. These 'comazuipers' have sparked debate on underage drinking and brain development. Will the increased legal drinking age solve the problem?

Barbara Braams • February 03, 2014

Cannabis use: doorway to creativity or to delusions?

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in the world and it has been used for centuries. Many acclaimed artists from a variety of disciplines, maintain its usefulness in the enhancement of creativity. However, is there any truth in their claims?

Meriem Manaï • April 10, 2013

Alcohol and adolescents: why do teens drink?

Recently the Dutch government proposed to raise the legal drinking age from 16 to 18. High levels of alcohol use in adolescence are related to alcohol dependence later in life. Recent research shows that also pubertal hormones play a role.

Barbara Braams • February 18, 2013

leidenpsychologyblog

alcohol

Blogs