Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are not only adult problems. They also affect many teens between the ages of 12 and 18, even though drinking under the age of 19 is illegal. The topic of alcohol first came up when I was in grade 8 and became even more popular in high school. In high school alcohol was more readily available thanks to absent-minded parents who didn’t hide their alcohol and older students willing to make some quick cash by selling to minors. While some parents may feel relieved that their teen is “only” drinking, it is important to remember that alcohol is a powerful, mood-altering drug.
It is easy to get, easy to use, and as common in our society as aspirin.? (Claypool, p. 62) Millions of American teenagers drink alcohol. Young people drink for many reasons; whether it?s to escape the daily stress of school or family life, or to fit in with their friends. But sadly enough, many teenagers discover too late that drinking cannot solve any of their problems. Teenage drinking is now one of the most serious problems that young people face.
The more teens know about the facts and consequences of this harmful venture the better off they are from becoming one of the many statistics associated with underage drinking. Every day more than 4,750 kids under the age of 16 have their first drink of alcohol, that’s and astounding number of young people whose lives could be ruined by one terrible decision made in their life, the decision to drink illegally. Scores of young kids die every year or suffer serious injuries and punishment due to this illegal endeavor. The number of underage drinkers that suffer grave consequences every year in the United States is well into the thousands. All teenagers have their own reasons for delving into this activity, in the end no excuses or reasons are appropriate to justify this senseless decision to drink illegally.
Robyn Suriano and George Hacker feel underage drinking is a big problem and action needs to take place in order to reduce underage drinking. Hacker blames advertisements while Suriano feels the problem stems from both advertisements and the family. As shown, the topic is very debatable, depending largely on personal upbringing and experiences. Hence, the question still remains, “Are alcohol advertisements the cause of underage drinking?”
It can cause health problems or make them worse." If it is true that long term drinking can cause all these health problems, this shows that alcohol is a huge health threat to your body. Not only does it harm a person’s internal health, but it affects a persons social aspects and behavior. "Alcohol abuse can also contribute to stomach problems, interactions between medicines and alcohol, and sexual problems. It can lead to violence, accidents, socia... ... middle of paper ... ...all this is true, then the child will have to struggle through some very big emotional pains in his/her life dealing with a parent who is an alcoholic.
Although this drug is illegal for teenage use a large percentage of teens use alcohol. Many teens die in automobile accidents, which could have prevented if they had chosen to say no. Each year it is blame in the deaths of more than four thousand teens (Claypool, p. 42). No crime kills more teenagers in America. Kids who are drinking regularly in high school seem to be fully aware of the penalties and laws against underage drinking, possession but don't care.
Why do young adults believe that they need to follow the actions of other young adults to make them feel accepted in society? Because young adults have always had a difficult time learning how to fit into society, many young adults turn to other teens to make them feel popular or accepted. Unfortunately, peer pressure has become a huge factor in many young adult’s lives. Some teens tend to turn to drugs or alcohol because many of their friends are smoking or drinking also. In addition, peer pressure causes many teenagers to follow the wrong path, but it also impacted teenager’s lives in positive ways.
Young binge drinkers frequently relate to an environment that surrounded by those who appear to support heavy drinking. Aside from that, advertising on television and large billboards of alcohol around the community seems to draw young people’s attention more often. Dr Gro Brundtland, General director of WHO(2001) claimed that adolescents currently have become an important target for marketing of alcoholic product. Since Alcohol seems to be commonly involved in every family celebration in New Zealand therefore young teenagers will consider drinking as a normal part of life while growing up. Recent statistics on peer pressure showed 55% of adolescents tried out alcohol for the first time because they felt pressured by their friends and less than a quarter getting hold of their own drink.
The first problem arises here, and it’s something that many people believe and question. In terms of alcohol consumption, if you’re already binge drinking in High School, isn’t it more likely that it’s only going to worsen as you head off to college? Marijuana is an illegal drug in many states, but compared to many of the other drugs out there, it hardly compares to ... ... middle of paper ... ...y to increase their alcohol consumption during the first year of college, and those who drink before beginning college are more likely to continue drinking throughout college and into their adult lives” (Grekin & Sher, 2006; Hartzler & Fromme, 2003). The conclusions that were reached through this experiment by the authors help add to our current level of understanding about this specific topic. High risk drinking and drug use is an extremely dangerous thing that usually leads to addiction, over-consumption and in some cases the most unfortunate event, death.
A fourth and final myth that teens foolishly believe is that everyone around them is drinking and they need to drink to fit in. The fact of the matter is that if they really wanted to fit in, they would abstain from alcohol use entirely. It has been shown in research studies that more than 70 percent of youth aged 12 to 20 had not had a drink in the past month (“Underage Drinking Myths vs. Facts,” 2012).