Alcohol Abuse In Teenagers

According to a study conducted by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Association, approximately 11,318 American teenagers try alcohol for the first time everyday. Teenagers experience the pressures of everyday life; therefore, some teens may begin to drink to cope with the stress. During the teenage years of one’s life, peers influence many decisions. For this reason, peer pressure is a major cause of alcohol abuse in teenagers. Additionally, teenagers are known to be rebellious. Hormones and the stress of every day life may create a rebellious teen. This rebellious nature may lead to the alcohol abuse in a teenager. Due to stress, peer pressure, and rebellious natures, American teenagers are engaging in risky behaviors, which are detrimental

In humans results from interactions between people and their environment that are perceived as straining or exceeding their adaptive capacities and threatening their well-being. Today, teenagers have the stress of academic achievement and accomplishment dumped onto their shoulders. This can lead to drinking, which may ease the stress of everyday life. Like adults, teenagers drink to relieve the anxiety and tension that they feel from the pressure to become better. Although alcohol is relaxing and makes teenagers feel free, it also stimulates stress hormones. Due to the stress hormones that alcohol creates, there is a never-ending cycle of stress that can not be avoided unless one finds another way to ease his or her stress. Between tests, homework, and extra-curricular activities, teenagers feel stressed and anxiety-ridden every day. Drinking may help to relieve the stress, but there is a horrible cost. In a survey conducted in 2002, the results concluded that nearly 3.2 million teenagers had dropped out of school, and half of those who dropped out had smoked cigarettes, used illegal drugs, or abused alcohol. The survey was conducted by an organization called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Stress can lead to alcohol abuse in teenagers, but there are many other ways to cope with stress besides drinking. Getting a good night’s sleep, taking a break once in a while, and

Peer pressure is another major factor that can lead to alcohol abuse in teenagers. Usually, during teenage years, teenagers spend more time with their friends instead of their family. Teens cannot escape peer pressure, and most people must experience it at some point in their life. The teenage years are definitely some of the hardest years in a person’s life. Fitting in and being popular are major factors in some people’s high school careers. No one wants to be rejected or lose a friend over a small issue of drinking a little bit of alcohol; thus, he or she may give into peer pressure. When everyone else is drinking at a party, no teen wants to be left out or be made fun of. The influence of others definitely affects the decisions a teenager makes. Resisting peer pressure can be hard, but one must keep the effects of alcohol in mind. Drinking, even in small quantities, can result in hangovers, liver disease, and even death. Every year, approximately 14,000 American teenagers die from consuming too much alcohol or driving while under the influence. Furthermore, peer pressure can also be positive. Not all teenagers drink; therefore, the ones that refrain from doing so, may encourage their friends to stop drinking or to not start drinking at all. Peer pressure can promote drinking, but remaining strong and keeping the risk of alcohol abuse in mind, will help a teenager abstain from