Did you know that approximately one third of Canadians have experienced child abuse (CBC Radio, 2014) and that approximately 10.4% of Canadians have a mental illness (Mood Disorders Society of Canada, 2009)? That’s three million, five hundred thousand people dealing with mental illnesses. These are uncommon conversation topics in today’s society, because most people do not like to talk about it. The two statistics above are connected; many people who experience abuse are prone to mental illness. When a child is sexually abused, or physically abused, there are visual effects on the person. Everyone knows the signs of a sexually abused victim but, most people do not recognize or even know the effects of emotional abuse. Emotional abuse is the hidden scars; the scars that people do not see that can cause a lifetime of abuse. These invisible scars can affect a person’s development from childhood through adolescence to adulthood, as an individual struggles to accept their self. Emotional abuse negatively impacts an individual’s self-esteem, which in turn can cause depression and substance abuse later in adulthood.
Experiencing emotional abuse as a child can lead to a decrease in self-esteem as an adolescent. Many parents do not know the difference between common angry outbursts and emotional abuse. The easiest way to define the two, would be that common anger usually concludes with the parent’s apologizing for their actions in more cases. Forms of emotional abuse include “belittling, exploiting, denying, rejecting, isolating, inconsistency, neglecting, and violence” (Kairys, Johnson, Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, 2002); possibly interactions witnessed by many children. The key that makes them abusive is the repetit...
... middle of paper ...
... - drinking “can damage a student's ability to study well and get decent grades, as well as affect [their] sports performance.” (KidsHealth, 2013). It can also affect a teenager’s body weight, making them lose even more self-esteem concerning their body weight. Drugs, along with alcohol, cause damage to one’s body, and are “often reasons why teens get in dangerous situations like unprotected sex and drunk driving” (KidsHealth, 2012). When teens become adults, undealt with substance abuse can also affect their lives. Possibly ruining relationships and friendships, causing them to lose a job, or have less money. Substance abuse is a serious topic in today’s society. “Alcohol addiction is 10 times higher in those who experienced abuse” (CBC Radio, 2014) and because of their self-esteem, they are more vulnerable to abuse drugs and alcohol to make them feel better.
...them when they take just one drink of alcohol, even if it is just one shot or one beer, it affect you. Most college student drink to socialize and that is not a good thing to do. When a students, or anyone, drink to be social there are more likely to have more then what they intended. Alcohol will affect the way that students think, feel, act, and socialize with others. Drink is a dangers action to participate in but that is a choice that one needs to make on their own. It is always fun at the time, but at that same time one does not think that they are permanently arming to their bodies. Whether children and teens drink 15,25 or even 30 percent of the alcohol consumed, the reality is that America has an underage drinking epidemic and alcohol is by far the drug most used by children and teens and poses the greatest threat to their well-being” (Underage, CNN.com pg2).
Currently, there are many children whom suffer from emotional, physical, and sexual abuse in their family. Emotional abuse is the lack of interest or affection parents have towards their children. As a result of emotional abuse, children are left feeling worthless and unloved. Physical abuse refers to attacking children resulting visible bodily injuries from either being burned, pushed, punched, slapped, or whipped. Sometimes physical abuse can be extremely severe that children have broken bones, fractures, or hemorrhaging. Sexual abuse occurs when a person forces, tricks, or threatens children to have sexual contact. These acts of child abuse could prevent children from living a normal adulthood. In order to deal with such a traumatic childhood, adults abused as children should rid themselves of such burdensome, painful memories.
The article "Alcohol Abuse is a Serious Problem for Teenagers," was written by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The article states, "Nearly four million young people suffer from alcohol dependence," and the average age at which children begin to drink is as early as 13. The article goes on to say that the number of children who experiment with alcohol has been rising steadily over the years. The article points out the unfortunate effects of drinking which range from an array of physical illnesses like liver problems and cancer. From the article we learn that because teenagers tend to indulge in binge drinking, they are at higher risk to suffer the consequences of alcohol consumption. According to the article these consequences include developmental problems like lack of growth, a reduced ability to learn, and to psychological problems like depression and suicidal tendencies. Alcohol abuse in turn leads to social problems which include dropping out of school, robbery, and "risky sexual behavior." We learn that alcohol serves as a "gateway-drug," leading to more addictive drugs like cocaine. The article substantiates this claim by citing a study conducted by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. The article also touches on the problem of alcohol used by parents though the primary focus of this piece is about teenage drinking. The purpose of the article is to jolt readers into an awareness of the magnitude of the problem of teenage drinkiing. Most people know that teenagers like to experiment, try the new and forbidden, but the Center assumes that no one is fully aware of how serious this problem can be if it is not addressed.
Binge drinkers miss class, get behind on school work, engage in unplanned sexual activity, have run-ins with police, and get injured or hurt.
Also, In a study conducted by www.cdc.gov, youth who begin drinking before the age of 15 are 15 percent more likely to develop an addiction later in life. This can be extremely dangerous, because the more you drink, the more dependent you become. It can be extremely difficult to get rid of addictions and has severe withdrawal symptoms that could be very painful. Another effect of underage drinking is low self esteem. Many teens begin drinking because they are very easily pressured by peers. This can cause them to at first feel more confident and have higher self-esteem. Soon, however, this will wear off and they may be left with a worse feeling than before. Similar to psychological disorders, alcohol abuse can lead to many social
That being said, drugs and alcohol, can cause ones to lose their lifestyle and even their loved ones. Using and abusing drugs and alcohol can also lead to addiction. This creates a whole different empire in one’s life. Some may even steal, lie and cheat, just to obtain their ability to get there next fix. Sometimes getting their next fix can even create a door way to putting them in jail or prison. Even to the point of no return, this could create the loss of one’s own
I already knew some of the minor effects of drinking alcohol such as it clouds ones judgment or can cause you to pass out. I also already knew one reason why people drink which is to help escape the stress and pain of reality. Most teens start to drink early for that reason also because of peer pressure or just for the fun of it. One last thing I knew from seeing this with my own eyes is that alcohol can ruin ones life by abusing it.
The impact alcohol abuse has on society has remained a longstanding issue in America. After recent changes to American drinking laws, in which only people over the age of 21 can legally drink alcohol, different opinions on young adult drinking have been made. In this bibliography, we will look at studies on American youth drinking habits over a large period of time. This annotated bibliography will analyze several studies about alcohol consumption and illustrate how excessive alcohol abuse impacts an individual's life and others.
Drinking alcohol in excessive amounts can cause lack of social skills and depression. When this behavior continues through young adult years, the brain becomes dependent on alcohol to cope with lack of social skills and depression. The brain becomes dependent and the person has to consume alcohol everyday to cope with life, causing the person to become an alcoholic through later years of life. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination (www.niaaa.nih.gov). I think this is the reason why teenagers who drink alcohol have unpredictable behaviors or irritability. The activities they enjoyed become things of the past because all they think about is the next drink. Alcohol use in early years can cause life-long effects on the brain which can cause alcoholism leading someone to feel hopeless and committing suicide. This is definitely a concern, since suicide is one of the top causes of death in teens. When the brain is not developing cognitively, the student can struggle academically causing he or she to have behavior issues. Teens who admitted to heavy drinking have less brain activity. This is a concern since the brain is still developing during those teenage
For example, “The immediate consequences of underage drinking are estimated to include at least $8.4 billion of health care expenditures. These expenditures due to underage drinking represent a societal loss because societal resources have been diverted away from other valuable uses. Health care expenditures related to underage drinking include expenditures for alcohol abuse services and expenditures for the medical consequences of alcohol abuse.” In addition, it was estimated that $7.3 billion dollars are spent each year in the US for alcohol abuse services for underage drinkers. (National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services) So not only do teenagers harm themselves but they are also having a big effect on the
Alcohol can alter the relationship between others and oneself and impact their values currently and in the future. According to the National Institutes of Health, teenagers who drink an excessive amount of alcohol will go through five stages. The first stage is they spend more time with their friends who drink and will prefer partying than having a long term relationship (Website 5). Friend groups are based on interests and hobbies, and therefore it is normal to surround yourself with people who have that common interest. However with alcohol, it is simply making the addiction worse. The second stage is they begin to neglect school and work by showing up late or not at all and will not attempt to complete assignments for class (Website 5).
When the topic of abuse comes up, many different forms of abuse pop into individuals heads. Whether its Physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse or even drug abuse, the list just keeps going. Now take all those different forms abuse and imagine them happening in a family. A father physically abusing his children, a mother verbally berating her daughter about her body image, a child growing up in fear. According to the research by David Wolfe in the Journal of Consulting and clinical Psychology, that the number of children that have suffered a physical injury due to physical abuse is between 1.4 and 1.9 million annually. With such a high number of physical abuse happening to children, one can imagine how high the number of all the
Alcohol has been linked to several horrible issues. The consequences of these problems include stiff fines, jail time, suspension of privileges and even death. The corollary of drinking alcohol can cause immense guilt, and even rifts in relationships with family and others. With booze being so bad it must be awful to get started drinking young. “…more than half of America’s teenagers have had at least one drink by age 15 and the percentage increases to 70% by age 18.” (Sober Nation) Teen drinking is a definite issue within the U.S.; its effects on an adolescent’s mind is horrendous; however, there is a way to fix this epidemic.
...tion. It has not only short-term effects but long-term ones as well. Alcohol can lead to serious problems with the central nervous system, blood, muscles, the liver, and more. Underage drinking is a huge problem that needs to be taken seriously and no one should ever feel pressured into drinking in order to look cool or fit in. One could only wish that more people were educated on the issue and maybe it would be taken more seriously than it is right now.
For millions of children in the U.S., poverty, neglect or abuse is a reality of everyday life, though these struggles are often hidden from view. Adult survivors often feel ashamed about and stigmatized for their childhood adversity. This makes it difficult to recognize that these events occur. While it’s easier to turn away than to face these issues, we can no longer afford to do so. Stress, mental illness and substance abuse – all health outcomes linked to childhood trauma – occur in the U.S. today at very high rates. Most would agree that the effects of childhood trauma can impact a child’s life more negatively than positively. While some may argue that the trauma endured has no effect on their future and that most will “just grow out of