The Pros And Cons Of Teen Alcoholism

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“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. Prior to 1988, the United States legal drinking age varied by …show more content…

11% of alcohol in the United States is consumed by people from age 12 to 20. Alcohol consumption is very prevalent among high schoolers. 72% of high school students will have had alcohol by the end of high school. Binge drinking is the most common form of alcohol consumption among underage drinkers. 90% of alcohol consumed by people under the age of 21 is consumed by binge drinking. 51% of binge drinkers are 18-20 years old. Some teens that consume alcohol pay for it and others don’t. 30.8% of teens paid for alcohol the last time they drank. 8.3% of those teens bought it themselves and 22% of the teens paid someone else to buy it for them. 37.4% of teens that did not pay for alcohol the last time they drank got it from someone who they are not related to. 21.1% of teens that did not pay for the alcohol got it from an adult relative. About 3 million teens in the United States are

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