Has your 13-year old had a beer lately? If asked, most parents would say that their 13-year old child has never even tried alcohol. Typically, parents tend to think teens drink like mom and dad, with a beer or two after work or a glass of wine with dinner. The truth is, when teens drink, they are mainly drinking to get drunk. The bottom line is that today’s parents are failing to understand the epidemic of teen drinking and its serious side effects. The use and abuse of alcohol by teens is on the rise as well as the problems associated with this abuse. Teens and young adults physically dependent on alcohol number in the millions. According to one source, teen alcoholism is the “third leading cause of teen deaths in the United States” (Torr, …show more content…
Binge drinking, five or more drinks at a time is on the rise. One study found that at some college campuses almost 70% of the students participated in binge drinking (Jordan, 2002). Binge drinking can cause alcohol poisoning, which can kill you in one of the following ways such as: when the level of alcohol in your blood gets too high that you stop breathing and your heart stops beating. The alcohol reacts with some other medication, even something bought over-the-counter such as Tylenol. And lastly, if a drinker is lying a certain way after they pass out, they can vomit then suffocate in their own vomit (Jordan, 2002). Alcohol causes more than 20,000 people a year to die, not counting car wrecks or problems with the liver. Its not only how much you drink, but how fast you drink and how much you weigh that can affect how drunk you get (Jordan, 2002). Another serious side effect of teenage drinking is automobile accidents. Teens often underestimate the amount they must drink to be impaired. When teenagers drink it is often at someone’s house, where they must park their vehicle. This situation increases the chances that they will be driving after drinking. A fact that the statistics on alcohol related accidents show, more than 2.300 youth died in alcohol related crashes in 1998 and cost Americans billions of dollars each
Drunk driving accidents are the number one killer of adolescents (Teenagers and peer pressures. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2013, from). Mixing drinking while driving can be deadly. Teenage drunk driving accidents not only affect the person drinking while driving, but it also can kill or harm others (Alcohol problems and solutions. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2013, from) (Teen drinking and driving. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2013, from) . Every single accident provoked by drinking and driving could have been prevented. If underage drinking is illegal, why do young people do it ? Teenagers usually are influenced by their elders (Alcohol problems and solutions. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2013, from). In the United States, one out of ten 12 through 14 year olds have tried alcohol and continue to do so on a regular basis . There is a more than fifty percent of probability that young adults that have tried alcohol at a younger age may become alcoholics in the near future (Alcohol fatalities. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2013, from). So, why do teenagers take so many risks with their health and behind the wheel? The answer is simple teen drivers tend to think they are invincible and more needs to be done to educate teens on the dangers of drinking and driving.
Each year, about 5,000 teens are killed or injured in traffic crashes as a result of underage drinking and about 1,900 are due to car accidents. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation) In the newsletter, safety in numbers by National highway traffic administration and U.S department of transportation “Of all the people who died in motor vehicle crashes during 2012, 31 percent died in crashes involving a drunk driver, and this percentage remains unchanged for the past 10 years” (Vol 1, 2013). Crashes involving alcohol include fatal crashes in which a driver had a BAC of .01 g/ ld. or higher (Underage Drinking Statistics)). Deadly crashes involving alcohol are twice as common in teens compared to people 21 and older. This is because teens’ judgment skills are harmed more by alcohol. Teens who drink not only risk hurting themselves, they risk hurting their friends, family, and even strangers when driving intoxicated. Teens and parents both need a strong reminder that underage drinking is illegal and can have disastrous consequences. According to Health Day News, “one study found that in 2011, 36 percent of U.S. college students said they'd gone binge drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting) within the past two weeks, as compared to 43 percent of college students in 1988. Since 2006, the current law has reduced the rate of drunk driving crashes among young Americans” (Preidt, 2014 and DeJong, 2014). This proves that lives have been saved after the legal drinking age increased. According to an article in Time Magazine called “Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?”, “lowering the drinking age to 18 would stop infantilizing college students, but it would probably kill mor...
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.
The use of alcohol by adolescents is implicated in about one third of all fatal crashes involving teens.
Drunk Driving is an effect of very high insurance costs and criminal charges for teens under the influence. Overall underage drinking costs up to about 27 million dollars. A problem with getting in an accident when under the influence is they are not only responsible for their own vehicle, but for the other vehicles involved in the accident. Since this can be very costly and overwhelming, their parents might have to step in and pay these fines, which is unfair to them and should only be taken care of by the person that caused it. The biggest problem with drunk driving is crashing. About 1 in 5 people people that get into car accidents were under the influence and had some type of alcohol in their system. (K. Nola Mokeyane). “According to MAAD, there are many legal issues having to do with drunk driving. Some things are fines, higher insurance car rates, criminal charges, possession of alcohol, and driving under the influence” (Nola K. Mokeyane). They also state that most colleges will view DUI charges, which if there is bad history, it will get you a low chance into getting into a good college. This can also cause some teens on probation, which leads to paying fines and restriction. Some teens could even be sent to jail, depending on how serious their fines
These consequences include homicide, physical violence, sexual assault, and suicide. Based on the statistical facts, every year almost 700,000 college students are assaulted by other drunk schoolmates, more than 70,000 students between 18 to 24 are victims of sexual assaulted related to alcohol, and nearly 300 alcohol-connected teenager suicides happen in the whole states. Young people are usually lack of self-control and careful conscious, that’s why they can be more dangerous when they get drunk and cause many serious consequences to the whole society.
Education is an extremely important part of the treatment of teen age alcoholism. Teens rarely understand the dangers of drinking alcohol. They need to be educated about the health risks they face when they drink. Because teens tend to feel they are invincible, they sometimes do not feel these risks apply to them. Sometimes speaking with another teen that has experienced serious health problems related to drinking can help. (learn about alcohol, 2010, p.1)
The article “Teens Drinking and Driving” (2012) recognizes that drinking and driving among adolescents in high school had declined by 54% since 1991. Although there has been a decline, high school teens continue to drink and drive 2.4 million times a month. Almost one million high school adolescents reported drinking and driving in 2011. The article “Teens Drinking and Driving” also states, “85% of teens in high school report drinking and driving in the past month also say they binge drank” (2012). Binge drinking is consuming five or more alcoholic beverages within a certain time frame, which can lead to drunk driving and other risky behavior. “Teens Drinking and Driving” (2012) also reports that one in five adolescents that drive under the influence are involved in deadly crashes with alcohol in their body. No matter what the circumstances are adolescents continue to drink and drive. There are solutions that can help decrease the ever occurring dangers of drunk
The decision to allow your teen to drink alcohol should be made by you, not by your friends. Have a frank discussion with these parents about your concerns. The issue isn’t whether “kids will be kids.” The issue is who should make the decision about allowing an underage teen to drink, their parent or someone else’s parent.
A lot of the time, teens think it is ‘cool’ to drink because everyone else does it. Almost every television show that young people watch have some underage substance abuse, leading adolescents to believe that it can’t be that bad. While society plays a big part in this huge problem, both teens and parents need to learn that there can be severe consequences from as little as one drink. Allowing them to think this kind of behavior is acceptable will haunt them for the rest of their lives, even if they are not alcohol related. Believing that such behavior is acceptable now will lead them to bad decision-making skills in the future when faced with an ethical decision. Teens need to know the major effects can come from underage drinking before going to that party or when being pressured into something they may not be willing to participate in. It is obvious that the long and short-term effects of alcohol abuse can be easily avoided by getting educated and thinking before engaging in any self-destructive
Alcohol at a young age can include many serious injuries, including vehicle accidents. According to M.A.D.D. (Mothers against Drunk Driving)”In 2010 the highest drunk driving rates were found amongst those ages 21 to 25 (23.4%), and 18 to 20 (15.1%). After age 25, the drunk driving rates decrease.” Many new drivers are around the age of ...
Alcohol is the drug most frequently used and abused by adolescents in the USA and in the Netherlands. In the USA, 56% of students aged 15 and 16 years reported using alcohol and 34% reported having been drunk in the past year. (Ross) Just think about it 15 and 16 year olds drinking imagine when they are 21 years of age they are most likely to become a big disaster. Which, that becomes to be very bad for you because you don’t want your kid to become an alcoholic.
“Alcoholism” is a chronic disorder characterized by dependence on alcohol, repeated excessive use of alcoholic beverages, the development of withdrawal symptoms on reducing or ceasing intake, morbidity that may include cirrhosis of the liver, and decreased ability to function socially and vocationally (“Alcoholism”). Teens have dealt with alcohol and alcoholism for a long time. There are many reasons why teens get addicted to alcohol and many things that happen because of it. There are ways to get treatment. There are many things that teens can do themselves to avoid alcohol and there are many things we and our society can do to prevent teen’s access to alcohol. Peer pressure and teens access to alcohol can lead to the destruction of their lives, the lives of the people around them, and their relationships with the people around them. We need to take measures to prevent this from happening so that they have a chance to better our society, not worsen it.
Binge drinking or heavy drinking is a modern description for drinking alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time. It is a kind of purposeful drinking style that is popular in several countries worldwide, and overlaps somewhat with social drinking since it is often done in groups. The degree of intoxication, however, varies between and within various cultures that engage in this practice. A binge on alcohol can occur over hours, last up to several days, or in the event of extended abuse, even weeks. Due to the long-term effects of alcohol misuse, binge drinking is considered to be a major public health issue. The more often a child or adolescent binge drinks and the younger they are the more likely they will develop an alcohol use disorder called alcoholism.
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.