Teenage Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol Abuse in Teenagers Underage alcohol abuse is a growing problem in the lives of teenagers today. Almost 80% of high school students have tried alcohol (Dowshen). To effectively combat this growing epidemic, teens need to understand the effects of consuming alcohol, and adults need to recognize the problem and effectively prevent alcohol abuse. Though many teenagers do not realize it, alcohol can significantly affect a teen’s life, including short-term impacts on the teen’s popularity and reputation and long-lasting impacts on a teen’s ability to lead a successful and healthy life. Despite the profound effects alcohol may have on the life of a teenager, a teenager’s parents and other authority figures often do not recognize the problem or understand its potential impacts on a teen’s future. Thus, to effectively solve the problems associated with teenage alcohol abuse, teenagers and their parents must work together to better understand the problem and develop mutually beneficial solutions. Cracking down on parties and other binge drinking episodes is important too.
Alcoholism is caused by a number of individual, family, genetic, and social factors rather than by any one cause (Dyrden). Teenagers drink for many reasons. They drink out of curiosity, to feel good, to relieve stress, or just to fit in. A teen might go out with his friends one night and be pressured into drinking alcohol. This puts kids in a very difficult situation. They want to be able to fit in and seem cool to their friends while at the same time not want to get in trouble. Whatever its cause, underage drinking may have a severe impact on a teenager’s life. If a teenager is caught drinking, he/she faces a significant legal punishment. Additionally teens that drink regularly often have problems in school, including a drastic drop in their grades and their participation in sports and other extracurricular activities gone down the drain. Alcohol may also have health risks for teenagers.

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