Teenage Alcholism Essay Research Paper Most teenagers

Teenage Alcholism Essay, Research Paper

Most teenagers today are using the “most abused drug,” alcohol. Four percent of college students drink alcohol daily. Nearly half of college students are binge drinkers (Facts and Statistics, www.glness.com/ndhs/stats.html). Of the teenagers that do drink, 39% say that they drink alone, 58% say that they drink when they are upset, 30% say that they drink when they are bored, and 37% say that they drink to feel high (Troubled Drink, www.alcoholismhelp.com/help/youth/letter2.html). Most people think that teenagers do no start drinking until they are in their late teens. However, Wilbur Cross (1979) says that most teens have had experiences with alcohol by the time they are thirteen. This is definitely a problem with today’s youth that needs to be solved. Before we can solve this problem, we need to find out why teens drink, teach teens what the effects of drinking alcohol are, and find out what to do to stop teens from drinking.

The first thin that we need to find out is why teenagers are drinking. One of the biggest reasons teens drink is peer pressure. Teens want to gain acceptance from the popular group so they try to look cool by doing what the other kids are doing, drinking (North & Orange, 1980). Teenagers think that the people having the most fun are the people that are drinking (Cross, 1979). Teenagers can overcome this pressure if their self esteem is high enough to stand up to their friends and tell them no. It is very hard and takes a lot of courage for teens to stand up to their friends (Cross, 1979).

Another type of pressure can come form the teenager’s parents. Parents can pressure teens in two ways. The first way is by disapproving of what the teen is doing. A lot of teenagers that drink heavily have parents that strongly disapprove of teens drinking, even though the parents drink themselves. These teens rebel against their parents by hiding their drinking habit (North & Orange, 1980). The highest incidence of alcoholism occurs among children whose parents are alcoholics (North & Orange, 1980, p.40). Another way teens are influenced by their parents is if they are exposed to this type of lifestyle for most of their lives. The teens grow up thinking that this is a normal and grown up way of life. The teens start drinking because they want to be grown up like their parents (North & Orange, 1980). Parents have a bigger influence on their children’s lives than they realize.

Another reason why teenagers drink is because they have the “it won’t happen to me” attitude (Cross, 1979). Teens do not think that they can become alcoholics by just drinking at parties during the weekend. What these teens do not realize is that although it may take years for an adult to go from a social drinker to an alcoholic, a teenager can make the change within a years time, faster if they are using other drugs (Cross, 1979).

According to North and Orange (1980) the media plays a large role in why teens chose to drink. I agree with their conclusion. Every place you turn, on television, in magazines, or even driving down the road, you see advertisements for alcohol. The people in the ads are always smiling and having fun. Beer companies spend between $15-$20 million a year to advertise to college students (Facts and Statistics, www.glness.com/ndhs/stats.html). The ads do not show what can happen while you are under the influence of alcohol or how you will feel in the morning.

We always see celebrities at parties with a drink in their hand. This shows teenagers that they do not just act like they drink, it is their lifestyle. Why wouldn’t a teen want to drink when they see their favorite movie or rock star drinking. These stars are cool and popular, so teens might associate that the alcohol makes them this way (North & Orange, 1980). It all boils down to teenagers want to be “cool”. They will do whatever they think it take to make them be cool.

It is easier to see the effect alcohol has on a teenager, than to find out what makes them drink. There are the obvious effects, hangovers, blackouts, and doing things that you will regret the next day. Hangovers happen the day after you get drunk. Symptoms include Headaches, fatigue, and an unquenchable thirst (Troubled Drink, www.alcoholismhelp.com/help/youth/letter2.hml). There are plenty of “cures” for a hangover, but usually the best is cure is plenty of rest (Cross, 1979). Blackouts are like amnesia. The teen will be able to carry on normal events while they are drinking but will have no memory of it later. Blackouts are caused by the alcohol robbing oxygen from the brain. If the teen experiences blackouts it is a sign of a severe drinking problem (Troubled Drink, www.alcoholismhelp.com/help/youth/letter2.hml). The teen also has to worry about what stories they are going to be faced with when they return to school.

Research has shown that in 75% of males and 55% of females involved in sexual assaults or date or acquaintance rape cases among teenagers and college students alcohol was involved (Facts and Statistics, www.glness.com/ndhs/stats.html). This is a dangerous effect alcohol has on a teen, especially teenaged girls. When everyone is drinking at a party guys can get the wrong idea and girls can get raped. The rape or any unprotected sex could result in pregnancy or and STD, just because of a couple of drinks. Sixty percent