Parent’s Influence and Role in Teenagers Prevalence to Underage Drinking and Alcoholism
Alcohol (beverages): beverages which contain ethanol substance, this substance cause a person become drunk (e.g. beer, whiskey). (W. Merriam Corporation, 2011)
Definition of alcoholism
• According to mayo clinic, alcoholism is an inability to control the desire to consume alcoholic beverages. The desire will always lead to serious condition, because the person who drinks alcohol does not know if he/she drinks too much. (Mayoclinic, 2012)
• Additionally, Alcoholic Anonymous UK states that alcoholism is a combination of physical impulse and a mental obsession which lead to enormous craving for alcoholic beverages.
Alcoholic is a person who consume alcohol
Definition of Underage drinking
• Underage drinking is consumption of alcoholic beverages (e.g. beers) done by a person whose age is below 21 years old. (National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2006)
Influence of parents:
• According to Robert J Ackerman: alcoholism will influence the whole family and will also cause massive problems for the family, some of them are: o Lack of emotional support for the chldren o Children of alcoholics perceive alcohol as a means of escape problems (children might become alcoholic as well). o Unhealthy/inconsistent parenting o Emotional insecurities for the children o Dissolvement of family (divorce)
• Robert J Ackerman states that there are four phases of family reaction to the existence of alcoholics, they are: o The reactive phase: in this phase the family members will be very cautious to the alcoholic’s behavior, this phase begins with family denials, coping strategies and social disengagement. It is during this phase that family is passive an...
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...Connor, G. (2012). Adolescence Risky Drinking: Source of Alcohol and The Role of The Parents. New South Wales: University of Newcastle.
Mayoclinic. (2012, August 9). Alcoholism. Retrieved from Mayoclinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcoholism/DS00340
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2006, January). Alcohol Alert: Underage Drinking. Retrieved from pubs.niaaa.nih.gov: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2013, July). Underage Drinking pdf. Retrieved from pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/UnderageDrinking: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/UnderageDrinking/Underage_Fact.pdf
W. Merriam Corporation. (2011). Alcohol - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from merriam webster free dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alcohol
Alcoholism has been a problem throughout the history of humanity, a disease which has caused many people to be overcome with burdens, problems, and debts. Alcoholism is a term that is widely recognized throughout the United States and the World. Alcoholism is a chronic disease, progressive and often fatal; it is a disorder and not due to other diseases or emotional problems.
Kramer, Liz, and Nancy Sprague “Alcohol Abuse and Youth: An Overview.” Points of View: Alcohol Abuse & Youth (2007): 1. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 17 Nov. 2009.
For Adult Children of Alcoholics, surviving their families becomes the point of existence. The fortunate may be able to draw support from a supportive adult, and may emerge with fewer difficulties than their brothers and sisters. The majority, however, have to “make do.” Some spend lonely hours in their rooms wishing only to vanish behind the woodwork. Others attempt to rescue the foundering vi...
Alcoholism comes with many problems and consequences that are dangerous for young teens. In America the average age for a girl’s first drink is thirteen, and for a boy it’s eleven. Young teens that drink are more likely to do with or
What is alcoholism? Alcoholism is a complex chronic psychological and nutritional disorder associated with excessive and usually compulsive drinking. Alcoholic abuse is a destructive pattern of alcohol use, leading to significant social, occupational, or medical impairment. A persons alcohol tolerance can be measured by how many alcoholic beverages they can drink before becoming intoxicated. Being an alcoholic has several downfalls, such as the withdrawal symptoms. Some of the withdrawal symptoms consist of sweating or rapid pulse, increased hand tremor, insomnia, nausea or vomiting, anxiety or grand mal seizers. There are two types of drinkers. The first type, the casual or social drinker, drinks because they want to. They drink with a friend or with a group for pleasure and only on occasion. The other type, the compulsive drinker, drinks because they have to; despite the adverse effects that drinking has on their lives. The cause of alcoholism is a combination of biological, psychological, and cultural factors that may contribute to the development of alcoholism in an individual. Alcoholism seems to run in families. "Although there is no conclusive indication of how the alcoholism of families members is associated, studies show that 50 to 80 percent of all alcoholics have had a close alcoholic relative" (Some researchers have suggested that in several cases, alcoholics have an inherited, predisposition to alcohol addiction. Studies of animals and human twins h...
In the United States alone, there are 28 million children of alcoholics - seven million of these children are under the age of eighteen. Every day, these children experience the horrors of living with an alcoholic parent. 40%-50% of children of alcoholics grow up and become alcoholics themselves. Others develop eating disorders or become workaholics. Children of alcoholics receive mixed messages, inconsistency, upredictability, betrayal, and sometimes physical and sexual abuse from their parents. They are made to grow up too fast because they must help keep the family structure together by doing housework and taking care of siblings since the alcoholic is not doing his or her part. Children form roles that they play to help disguise the disease. The roles help distract people from seeing the real problem and serve to protect the family so it can continue to function. There are five roles that the family members will take on-- the enabler, the hero, the scapegoat, the lost child, and the mascot.
“Consequences of Underage Drinking.” John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. John University, 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.
So why the hike in usage over such a short span of time? A few tentative conclusions have surfaced in response to the rapidly growing numbers. Research has shown that the absence of a parental figure within the household has proven to be an effective catalyst in spurring youth to participate in what would otherwise be considered reckless behavior. An additional explanation for the use of alcohol by an underage demographic can be the self-justification, created by youth, based on parental observation. If an adolescent actively participates in the consumption of alcohol, in an attempt to emulate the actions of their parents, then psychologically, that action would warrant that much more credibility.
Ward, B. M., & Snow, P. C. (2011). Factors affecting parental supply of alcohol to underage adolescents. Drug & Alcohol Review. 30 (4): 338-43.
Everyone has had an alcoholic beverage sometime in their life, including kids under the age of 18. Kids will sneak a drink behind their parents back, or when they’re in college they will drink with their friends while there’s no supervision. Drinking age has been a huge concern in the United States for many years. A lot of tragic deaths have occurred due to underage drinking.
Underage drinking occurs when anyone under the legal age of 21 has begun to drink. Alcohol drinking has become a vast problem among teens in the United States (Masten, Faden, Robert, Zucker, & Spear, 2009). The consumption of alcohol drinking among teens declined in the middle of the 1970’s but in 1993 it began to increase again. (Masten et al., 2009). By the age of 15, there has been at least one out of five who have tried alcohol and they have become heavy drinkers by the age of 18 (O’Connell, 2005). By the time teens are in 12th grade, there are at over three-quarters of those students reported have tried alcohol and at least three-fifths have reported being drunk once (Brown, et al., 2009). Children who begin drinking in high school continue to drink once they have completed high school (Brown, et al., 2009). Drinking alcohol by teens is risky not only because of the risks that can cause acute impairment, but also it can develop long-term development and well-being (O’connell, 2005). The long-term effect of underage drinker can effect teen’s developmental issues and cause health issues.
Alcohol abuse can potentially lead to major health risks, “It can cause damage to the liver, brain, and other organs” (Medline Plus). Alcoholism is an issue that affects a great number of people. According to Medline Plus, “…about 18 million adult Americans have an alcohol use disorder (AUD)” (Medline Plus). When considering these figures only represent the adult population as well as only including the adults in the US, it is apparent that the issue is widespread. Not only does it affect the person but also those around them. Unfortunately many times it affects other members of their family the most. According to American Addiction Centers, “As a general rule, these people have a greater likelihood of having emotional troubles compared to children who grew up in sober homes”. This suggests that the children of the people who suffer from alcoholism are affected to a great extent on an emotional level. As stated by American Addiction Centers, “In general, children of individuals who abuse alcohol are four times more likely to abuse alcohol themselves”, which would then only further the cycle of alcohol
Because children are in the stage of development, they are considered to be the most susceptible to parental alcoholism (Park, Schepp, 2014, p. 1222). However, research showed that these children are very aware of the dangers of alcoholism (Hill, 2013, p.345). Although many of these children, studied by Hill (2013), preferred to purposefully limit any mention of alcohol abuse in their families, they showed great understanding of this problem. Children are actually troubled more about the effects parental alcoholism has on their family, for example they can associate alcoholism with the increase of disharmony between parents, and neglect from parent(s) (Hill, 2013, p.345). In a lot of these studies children were very selective of when to share their personal experiences, they were more likely to talk about their parents drinking problem if it was not present anymore or had decreased (Hill, 2013, p.347). These children shared their unwavering defense of their alcoholic parent, never really admitti...
"Because time and amount of drinking are uncontrollable, the alcoholics is likely to engage in such behaviors as [1] breaking family commitments, both major and minor; [2] spending more money than planned; [3] drinking while intoxicated and getting arrested; [4] making inappropriate remarks to friends, family, and co-workers; [5] arguing, fighting and other anti-social actions. The alcoholic would probably neither do such things, nor approve of them in others unless he was drinking" (Johnson 203).
As a result of underage drinking, 5,000 adolescents under the age of 21 die annually due to intoxication (taking motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides, and other injuries while intoxicated into consideration) (paragraph 2). Later in life, underage drinkers are more likely to develop alcoholism, poor performance in school, and risky sexual behavior (paragraph 43). Although this research is not opposed to my argument, there is an importance to acknowledging it as proof of dangerous, underage drinking occurring significantly regardless of whether it is illegal. More importantly, this research stems from adolescents drinking without the supervision of adults and in uncontrolled quantities. Since adolescents must wait a long period of time to drink legally, I believe they fear they must take advantage of drinking opportunities by excess drinking and risk of safety due to their restriction to alcohol. Based on this mindset, I believe exposure to alcohol at a younger age in controlled environments would not only decrease underage drinking in large quantities, but injury and death related to intoxication, as