Teen Drinking

Introduction

Addiction occurs when a person’s body physically craves a substance and when the body needs the substance in order to function, thus, taking the role of food-like sustenance. This is exactly how an alcoholic perceives alcohol, as a food. The addict will go out of their way in order to obtain the alcohol they crave.

The road to alcoholic addiction varies from person to person. However, it inevitably ends the same way for all addicts – always destructive, especially to the brain.

Teenage Drinkers

It’s impossible to categorize the typical teenage drinker. Teens use alcohol for a wide variety of reasons and demonstrate differences in drinking patterns. How much and how often alcohol is consumed largely depends on the individual. There are a number of following causes for teen alcohol abuse:

Societal Influences

Alcohol use is extremely prevalent in our society. Young people grow up seeing their parents and other adults make toasts at weddings and anniversaries with a glass of champagne, or casually enjoy a few beers or wine at family picnics and gatherings. Alcoholic beverages are frequently as common at business lunches as they are at college fraternity parties. Many young people have come to regard alcohol as an important and often a necessary vehicle for relaxation and socializing. When asked why they drank at parties, a majority of them noted that alcohol made them “feel free” or gave them a chance to be themselves.

In a study at the Addictive Behavior Research Center at the University of Washington in Seattle, student volunteers were served alcoholic drinks for about forty minutes and questioned afterward about its effects. About half of the participants said that the alcohol had taken its toll on them. Their responses were similar to the quotes below:

First student: “[I feel] sleepy…. I always fall asleep when I drink.”

Second student: “When we stand up we’re going to be really feeling it…. My legs feel funny….”

Majority of the students reported that the alcohol made them feel “woozy,” “sleepy,” or “happy.”

Media Influences

Advertisers and the media are primarily targeting young people. Alcohol’s appeal is enhanced by such efforts. The average American youth views approximately one hundred thousand beer commercials before they reach eighteen. The ads made drinking look glamorous and fun. The ads use sexy and attractive people to promote their product. Teens want to look like the models in the ad. They feel that the products will make them acceptable to society.

Family Lifestyle

Family lifestyle can influence a teenager’s drinking. Family crisis, such as divorce, death and child abuse, are frequently associated with teen alcohol abuse. Some teens respond to parental pressure by drinking. It is their way of coping for a loss or with an intense sibling rivalry.

In cases of alcoholic parents, the kids may eventually turn to alcohol to handle their problems as well. Children learn through example. Though parents may lecture their children about alcohol’s negative effects and encourage them not to drink, actions ten to speak louder than words.

Predisposition to Alcohol

Certain individuals are more likely than others to become exposed and addicted to alcohol due to factors in their physical makeup. Heredity and genetics are some of the causes. Learning about a teen’s immediate and extended family is crucial in learning if the teen is predisposed to become an alcoholic.

Peer Pressure

A person’s need to be accepted by his friends and classmates, “to fit in” with the others, can lead to drinking whether they like it or not. They can be teased, excluded, or perceived as weaklings. As one fifteen-year-old put it, “I don’t really like to drink. I know that stuff is fattening. But when I go to parties I drink – I do it to be like everybody else. If I didn’t, I’m not sure that I’d keep on being invited.”

Adolescent Turmoil

The teen years are often characterized by conflict and stress. Teens have to make transition from childhood to young adulthood. To do so, they need to learn a wide variety of intellectual and social skills. They are faced with greater responsibility and issues. Many teens turn to alcohol to help them handle stressful situations.

The teen years, or adolescence, is also a time of rebellion. Teenagers begin to separate from their parents, and tries to search for identities of their own. Drinking, staying out late with friends and “breaking all the rules,” represents this rebellious stage.

Psychological and Emotional Problems

Teens who are suffering from psychological and emotional problems are most likely to turn to alcohol. These teens feel overwhelmed in their everyday lives, experiencing anxiety, depression, confusion, and helplessness. At first, young people rely on alcohol to numb their pain. However, continued use will result to substance abuse, a much bigger problem.

Seeing the Signs

Distancing themselves from family members and friends. Early signs of alcohol abuse is when a teen suddenly goes out of their way to avoid close friends and loved ones they were formerly close to. The process may start with the teen constantly excusing him self from family activities such as picnics, holiday celebrations, church functions and trips. Eventually, the teen will also begin to emotionally distance himself or herself from everyone else. They alienate themselves from social occasions that they used to attend. They frequently also claim that they aren’t hungry at meal times so as not to have to eat with the rest of the family.

Behavioral Changes at School.

Alcohol generally affects a young person’s behavior and performance in school. In most cases, there is a significant rise in absenteeism and cutting classes. As expected, their grades usually suffer. Some students who never received less than a B will now both fail some courses and get abnormally low marks in others. In addition, these students would most likely be involved in hostile confrontations between teachers and other students.

Teens with drinking problems also often loose interest in extracurricular activities. Outstanding athletes or promising would-be scientists and engineers would no longer participate in such activities. These students now spend most of their time securing and drinking a great amount of alcohol. Everything else (family, friends, school, responsibility, hygiene, etc.) becomes secondary as the alcohol they consume begins to consume them.

New Social Interactions.

As the teen drinker withdraws from family and friends, they begin to form new relationships with other individuals also involved in substance abuse. They spend their leisure time around drugs, alcohol and may include all-night parties, rock concerts, and casual sex. The teen drinker is now influenced with these values and actions; therefore, leading to self-destructive behavior.

Physical Symptoms.

Numerous physical symptoms appear to a life centered around alcohol. These include hangovers, exhaustion, depression, blackouts and irrational thinking. In many ways, a teens entire personality may dramatically change. Teen heavy drinkers are more likely to be exposed to injury and pain. They become involved in fights that may lead to violence, or may curse and degrade their parents in arguments. Others are close to attempting suicide.

Drunk Driving

Kim (age 18)

“I wanted to go out with Eric for as long as I can remember. He had everything – he was good-looking, into body-building, and on the football team. I always thought of him as the kind of guy you’d see in a movie magazine and I think most girls would agree with me.

“Eric never asked me out. I didn’t really expect him to because he was someone you dreamed about rather than really dated. But whenever I could, I tried to be where he was. I’d root him at football games, talk to him after class and at parties, and watch him drag-race with his friends.

“Eric won the races most of the time. He had great coordination and was a terrific driver. Sometimes the guys raced their cars after having a few beers. We all knew that you’re not supposed to drink and drive. But nobody ever paid that any mind. Eric always said those warnings applied to old people, not athletes like him.

“I thought he was right. Eric drank and drove whenever it suited him and nothing ever happened. In fact, he was sober the only time he was ever stopped for speeding.

“Eric could do sharp curves at high speed with one hand on the wheel and a beer in the other. He’d drive a group of us to the pizza place or to a party when he was high, but I never thought twice about riding with him. Eric seemed invincible, nothing bad could happen to someone like him.

“If a group of us were heading someplace, I’d usually go in Eric’s car. It was fun to be with him and the people he hung out with. I was proud to be one of them. That’s why I was really pissed the Friday after graduation when a bunch of us decided to leave one party to go to another at the beach. I just assumed that I’d be in Eric’s car, but three other girls asked him before I could. Between the three of them and his two best friends from the football team, there wasn’t any room left in the car for me.

“Getting a ride to the beach that night wasn’t really a problem cause other kids with cars were going too. I just hated the idea of being left out.

“When Eric and the kids he left with didn’t show up, I figured that they went somewhere else at the last minute. I found out what really happened the next day, but I didn’t believe it at first. I thought that maybe there was some mistake – that somehow the names had been mixed up or something. But I couldn’t deny the truth for long. I knew that I’d be going to a funeral soon. Eric had crashed the car on the way to the beach. Everyone in the collision had been hurt and the two of the girls who’d asked Eric for a ride were dead.

“I felt guilty for having begrudged them the ride that killed them. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I had wanted to be in their place that night. The police report showed that Eric was drunk at the time of the accident. Suddenly he didn’t seem invincible any longer – now he seemed like a murderer. And I knew that I could easily have been one of his victims.”

Stories such as Kim’s are not unusual. The tragedy of teen drinking and driving has become common in households across the country. As in the case of Eric and his friends, drunken driving has ruined the lives of numerous American teens. Drunk driving will often leave you dead or paralyzed for the rest of your life.

Sadly, over twice as many young licensed drivers are involved in alcohol-related car accidents than drivers over thirty. 1 By most computations, drunken driving accounts for at least as many deaths as intentional homicide. The majority of drunken driving episodes appear to be committed by social drinkers – who greatly outnumber the problem drinkers and alcoholics. While the number of teen drunken driving fatalities has statistically decreased somewhat since 1982, young people are still over-represented in this category. Often, teenagers base their decision to drink and drive on misinformation. Since alcohol may produce temporary feelings of euphoria, some teen drivers mistakenly believe that their driving skills are actually enhanced after a few drinks. Instead, alcohol dulls areas of the brain crucial to driving decision making. It also decreases the ability to concentrate and slows reaction time behind the wheel. Drunk drivers may also experience blurred or double vision, making them even more dangerous on the road.

Driving while intoxicated is against the law in every state. Law enforcement authorities determines if a driver is guilty of driving while intoxicated (DWI) by the amount of alcohol in his or her “blood alcohol concentration” (BAC). This information is determined through a breath tester, where a driver is asked to breath into a device, or by direct analysis of the person’s blood or urine.

Treatment

The first step is for an alcoholic to overcome their denial of alcoholism, and begin treatment. The alcoholic's family, friends and employer must also overcome their own denial. They must acknowledge that there is a serious alcohol problem. They must acknowledge that there is a serious alcohol problem. They must decide it is time to get serious and practice "tough love." It was thought that an alcoholic had to "hit bottom" before he or she would accept treatment. This could mean losing a job, divorce, such as going bankrupt, getting arrested or having some other catastrophe. By intervening early, such losses may be prevented. Intervention begins with a series of meetings with the "team." The team consists of the counselor, family members, friends, and other concerned persons. Together, the “team” will contribute a great amount of time, effort, and attention to the patient. The alcoholic needs to be cooperative with the “team” and their selves in order for the treatment to be successful.

Conclusion

In conclusion, alcohol is a destructive drug that should be avoided by young people. It does not solve any problems, but rather it creates larger ones. It is not the basis of judgment on whether a person is socially acceptable or not. Instead, alcohol is an addictive drug that has been associated with a host of problems, such as poor academic performance, truancy, and crime. It leads to irrational thinking, poor judgment, and the emergence of an entirely new personality. As teens become more involved with alcohol, they are distracted from the normal school and social activities and become alienated from their family and friends. It not only affects the alcoholic, but also the people that surround them, causing them pain and frustration. In serious cases, alcohol can lead a young person to self-destruct. Therefore, certain signs should be observed and dealt with to prevent the problem from getting out of hand.

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