Alcohol Abuse In Teens
Alcohol Abuse in Teens
Alcoholism is one of the biggest and unrecognized problems in our society today. Alcoholism is a substance-use disorder in which the sufferer has problems managing how much alcohol he/she consumes. Alcoholism (alcohol dependence) is a negative pattern of alcohol use leading to a number of problems, which may include needing more alcohol to get intoxicated (tolerance), difficulties that occur when the effects of alcohol wear off (withdrawal), using more alcohol or for longer time than intended, and other life problems because of the use of alcohol.
Five stages of alcohol and drug use have been identified. The first stage is described as access to alcohol rather than use of alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, or other drugs. …show more content…
In that stage, minimizing the risk factors that make a teenager more vulnerable to using alcohol are an issue. The second stage of alcohol and other drug use ranges from experimentation or occasional use to regular weekly use of alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, or other drugs. The third stage is characterized by youths further increasing the frequency of alcohol use and/or using alcohol and other drugs on a regular basis. This stage may also include the teenager either buying drugs or stealing to get drugs. In the fourth stage of alcohol and drug use, adolescents have established regular usage, have become preoccupied with getting intoxicated ("high") and have developed problems in their social, educational, vocational, or family life as a result of using the substance. The final and most serious fifth stage of alcohol or other drug use is defined by the youth only feeling normal when they are using. During this stage, risk-taking behaviors like stealing, engaging in physical fights, or driving while intoxicated increase, and they become most vulnerable to having suicidal thoughts. In the United States, alcohol is the most frequently used drug by teenagers. Significant statistics regarding alcohol use in teens include that about half of junior high and senior high school students drink alcohol on a monthly basis, and 14% of teens have been intoxicated at least once in the past year! Each year, almost 2,000 people under the age of 21 years die in car crashes in which underage drinking is involved. Alcohol is involved in nearly half of all violent deaths involving youth.
Just a few of the many dangers of alcohol use in teens include the following:
• Teens who have experienced alcohol withdrawal tend to have difficulties with memory.
• The teenage brain that has been exposed to alcohol is at risk for being smaller in certain parts.
• In contrast to adults, teens tend to abuse alcohol with other substances and drugs, such as marijuana.
• Male teens who drink heavily tend to complete fewer years of education compared to male teens who do not.
• The younger people are when they begin drinking, the more likely they are to develop a problem with alcohol.
• More than three times the number of eighth-grade girls who drink heavily said they have attempted suicide compared to girls in that grade who do not drink.
• Intoxication is associated with suicide attempts using more lethal methods, and positive blood alcohol levels are often found in people who complete suicide.
• Teens who drink are more likely to engage in sexual activity, have unprotected sex, have sex with a stranger, or be the victim or perpetrator of a sexual assault.
• Excess alcohol use can cause or mask other emotional problems, like anxiety or depression.
There are several ways to tell if someone has been drinking.
With many people, alcohol not only changes their appearance but also who they are. It can cause a normally quiet, happy person to be loud, obnoxious, and aggressive without that person even knowing. Signs that indicate people are intoxicated include the smell of alcohol on their breath or skin, glazed or bloodshot eyes, being unusually passive or argumentative, and/or deterioration in appearance or hygiene. Other symptoms of intoxication include flushed skin and memory loss. There are many risks that are being taken when involving alcohol. One of the main risks is getting alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is the potentially fatal result of drinking excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. It is caused by alcohol slowing down the body 's functions (for example, breathing, heart rate, and gag reflex), thereby potentially leading to choking, coma, stopped breathing, stopped heart, and death. Treatment involves getting the person to the hospital immediately so he or she can be closely watched by medical professionals, given oxygen and fluids, and so that other measures can be taken in order to prevent choking, as well as stopped breathing or heartbeat. Family risk factors for teenagers developing drinking problems include low levels of parent supervision or communication, family conflicts, inconsistent or severe parental discipline, and a family history of alcohol or drug abuse. Individual risk factors include problems managing impulses, emotional instability, thrill-seeking behaviors, and perceiving the risk of using alcohol to be low. Girls who drink, as well as teens who begin drinking prior to 14 years of age and those whose mothers have drinking problems, are more likely to develop alcoholism. Teen risk factors for alcoholism differ a bit between the 14- to 16-year-old and 16- to 18-year-old age groups, in that 16- to 18-year-olds tend to be less likely to drink in excess when they
have a close relationship with their mothers.
Although many of them believe that once their offspring is abusing alcohol, it’s a loss cause. Parents can help! Clear communication by parents about the negative effects of alcohol, as well as about their expectations regarding drug use, have been found to significantly decrease alcohol use in teens. Adequate parental supervision has also been found to be a deterrent to alcohol use in youth. That means picking and choosing who they are around and paying attention to who is influencing them. Alcohol, and other drug use, has been found to occur most often between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., immediately after school and prior to parents ' arrival at home from work. Teen participation in extracurricular activities has therefore been revealed to be an important measure in preventing use of alcohol in this age group. Parents can also help educate teens about appropriate coping and stress-management strategies. For example, 15- to 16-year-olds who use religion to cope with stress tend to use drugs significantly less often and have less problems as a result of drinking than their peers who do not use religion to cope.
Alcohol is on its way to becoming our main problem in the United States, not only in teenagers, but also in of-aged drinkers. With the help from the government, doctors, family and friends, and other’s past experiences, maybe we can slow down the rising of the number of people who are developing alcoholism.
Works Cited
Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne. Alcohol and Teens. 10 December 2013. MedicineNet.com http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_teens/article.htm
Ketcham, Katherine. Underage Drinking. 26 November 2008. http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol.html
Sheff, Nik. Tweak: Growing Up on Alcohol. 12 May 2009. https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/statistics.aspx
Alcoholism is one of the biggest and unrecognized problems in our society today. Alcoholism is a substance-use disorder in which the sufferer has problems managing how much alcohol he/she consumes. Alcoholism (alcohol dependence) is a negative pattern of alcohol use leading to a number of problems, which may include needing more alcohol to get intoxicated (tolerance), difficulties that occur when the effects of alcohol wear off (withdrawal), using more alcohol or for longer time than intended, and other life problems because of the use of alcohol.
Five stages of alcohol and drug use have been identified. The first stage is described as access to alcohol rather than use of alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, or other drugs. …show more content…
In that stage, minimizing the risk factors that make a teenager more vulnerable to using alcohol are an issue. The second stage of alcohol and other drug use ranges from experimentation or occasional use to regular weekly use of alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, or other drugs. The third stage is characterized by youths further increasing the frequency of alcohol use and/or using alcohol and other drugs on a regular basis. This stage may also include the teenager either buying drugs or stealing to get drugs. In the fourth stage of alcohol and drug use, adolescents have established regular usage, have become preoccupied with getting intoxicated ("high") and have developed problems in their social, educational, vocational, or family life as a result of using the substance. The final and most serious fifth stage of alcohol or other drug use is defined by the youth only feeling normal when they are using. During this stage, risk-taking behaviors like stealing, engaging in physical fights, or driving while intoxicated increase, and they become most vulnerable to having suicidal thoughts. In the United States, alcohol is the most frequently used drug by teenagers. Significant statistics regarding alcohol use in teens include that about half of junior high and senior high school students drink alcohol on a monthly basis, and 14% of teens have been intoxicated at least once in the past year! Each year, almost 2,000 people under the age of 21 years die in car crashes in which underage drinking is involved. Alcohol is involved in nearly half of all violent deaths involving youth.
Just a few of the many dangers of alcohol use in teens include the following:
• Teens who have experienced alcohol withdrawal tend to have difficulties with memory.
• The teenage brain that has been exposed to alcohol is at risk for being smaller in certain parts.
• In contrast to adults, teens tend to abuse alcohol with other substances and drugs, such as marijuana.
• Male teens who drink heavily tend to complete fewer years of education compared to male teens who do not.
• The younger people are when they begin drinking, the more likely they are to develop a problem with alcohol.
• More than three times the number of eighth-grade girls who drink heavily said they have attempted suicide compared to girls in that grade who do not drink.
• Intoxication is associated with suicide attempts using more lethal methods, and positive blood alcohol levels are often found in people who complete suicide.
• Teens who drink are more likely to engage in sexual activity, have unprotected sex, have sex with a stranger, or be the victim or perpetrator of a sexual assault.
• Excess alcohol use can cause or mask other emotional problems, like anxiety or depression.
There are several ways to tell if someone has been drinking.
With many people, alcohol not only changes their appearance but also who they are. It can cause a normally quiet, happy person to be loud, obnoxious, and aggressive without that person even knowing. Signs that indicate people are intoxicated include the smell of alcohol on their breath or skin, glazed or bloodshot eyes, being unusually passive or argumentative, and/or deterioration in appearance or hygiene. Other symptoms of intoxication include flushed skin and memory loss. There are many risks that are being taken when involving alcohol. One of the main risks is getting alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is the potentially fatal result of drinking excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. It is caused by alcohol slowing down the body 's functions (for example, breathing, heart rate, and gag reflex), thereby potentially leading to choking, coma, stopped breathing, stopped heart, and death. Treatment involves getting the person to the hospital immediately so he or she can be closely watched by medical professionals, given oxygen and fluids, and so that other measures can be taken in order to prevent choking, as well as stopped breathing or heartbeat. Family risk factors for teenagers developing drinking problems include low levels of parent supervision or communication, family conflicts, inconsistent or severe parental discipline, and a family history of alcohol or drug abuse. Individual risk factors include problems managing impulses, emotional instability, thrill-seeking behaviors, and perceiving the risk of using alcohol to be low. Girls who drink, as well as teens who begin drinking prior to 14 years of age and those whose mothers have drinking problems, are more likely to develop alcoholism. Teen risk factors for alcoholism differ a bit between the 14- to 16-year-old and 16- to 18-year-old age groups, in that 16- to 18-year-olds tend to be less likely to drink in excess when they
have a close relationship with their mothers.
Although many of them believe that once their offspring is abusing alcohol, it’s a loss cause. Parents can help! Clear communication by parents about the negative effects of alcohol, as well as about their expectations regarding drug use, have been found to significantly decrease alcohol use in teens. Adequate parental supervision has also been found to be a deterrent to alcohol use in youth. That means picking and choosing who they are around and paying attention to who is influencing them. Alcohol, and other drug use, has been found to occur most often between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., immediately after school and prior to parents ' arrival at home from work. Teen participation in extracurricular activities has therefore been revealed to be an important measure in preventing use of alcohol in this age group. Parents can also help educate teens about appropriate coping and stress-management strategies. For example, 15- to 16-year-olds who use religion to cope with stress tend to use drugs significantly less often and have less problems as a result of drinking than their peers who do not use religion to cope.
Alcohol is on its way to becoming our main problem in the United States, not only in teenagers, but also in of-aged drinkers. With the help from the government, doctors, family and friends, and other’s past experiences, maybe we can slow down the rising of the number of people who are developing alcoholism.
Works Cited
Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne. Alcohol and Teens. 10 December 2013. MedicineNet.com http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_teens/article.htm
Ketcham, Katherine. Underage Drinking. 26 November 2008. http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol.html
Sheff, Nik. Tweak: Growing Up on Alcohol. 12 May 2009. https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/statistics.aspx