Underage drinking is one of the biggest issues today in Australian society (Osborne &Mccann, 2002). The national drug strategy household survey showed rates of abstinence amongst 12-15 year olds rising from 67.6% to 77.2% which is a decrease in drinking by 9.6%. Drinking in youths can lead to violence and negative relationships with those around them. Drinking can also negatively effect brain development, this is because the brain is responsible for sending messages to nerve cells throughout the body which control and stimulate correct body function. Alcohol puts this process in disarray, as it acts on the nerve cells of the brain and disrupts the communication between the brain and cells (Government of Western Australia,2014). Teenagers …show more content…
Peer pressure is influence on people, or an individual who gets encouraged to follow others by changing their attitudes, values, or behaviours to conform to those of the influencing group or individual (Rae, 2011). Peer pressure can be a positive influence. However, it can also lead teens to do things they wouldn’t usually, or stop them from doing something they would like to do. And it can challenge their view of what’s right and what’s wrong. It’s normal to want to feel liked and have a sense of belonging and acceptance from peers. Unfortunately, peer pressure increases as teens struggle to work out where they fit in their social world. This can be especially true when it comes to trying alcohol. Research from the monitoring the future survey identify that 30% of grade 8 students have tried an illicit drug and 23% of teenage females feel pressure from their friends to have sexual relations with a male ( Zeiger, 2015). According to the Canadian Lung association the two most common reasons to try smoking identified by 12-17 year olds are "my friends do it" and "I thought it was cool." adolescents are lead to believe that drinking results in popularity, having a good time, as well as acceptance from peers. Peer pressure is a powerful social factor in influencing the attitude of young teenagers towards alcohol …show more content…
Alcohol is widely consumed and enjoyed throughout Australia, it is often served at social and recreational situations, and is considered a positive factor in someone's lifestyle in the Australian community (Powley, 2016). Drinking is considered to be part of the Australian culture and can often be encouraged in households around the nation. Drinking is closely related to lifestyle, and viewed as positive and as a essential factor in having fun. Australia has a strong culture surrounding drinking, this is supported by research from Monash and Deakin university. Both state that "young people often view drinking positively and central to the Australian culture and identity." This not only has negative effects on the individual but on the nation. Statistics show that 87.6% of Australians have experienced alcohol by the age of 18.The Australian drinking culture is a strong factor in not only the typical Australian stereotype but this factor can also be a strong part of a persons identity. In 2015 data reported that 17% of grade twelves, 11% of grade tens and 5% of grade eights in Australia reported binge drinking. (Johnston,2015)This data supports the existence of an Australian drinking culture. Both peer pressure and Australian drinking culture are key factors in influencing the choices teenagers make relating to their alcohol consumption, and delaying alcohol
The article “Adolescent Brain Development and Underage Drinking in the United States: Identifying Risks of Alcohol Use in College Populations” written by Marisa Silveri, PhD, aims to emphasize the the negative behavioral consequences with underage alcohol use. Silveri is a highly decorated professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, who has been studying the neurobiology of brain development and consequences of alcohol and drug abuse using preclinical and clinical models for two decades. Her substantial background in psychology and neurobiology make her a highly credible source, and improves the author’s chance of making the point really stick. The article is easy to follow, and split up in subcategories that each cover a specific point the author is trying to make. Professor Silveri, with great credibility, uses logic and also emotional appeal to effectively convince the reader that alcohol use affects the brain negatively, and the importance to discourage the excessive consumption of alcohol by adolescents.
A lot of the time, teens think it is ‘cool’ to drink because everyone else does it. Almost every television show that young people watch have some underage substance abuse, leading adolescents to believe that it can’t be that bad. While society plays a big part in this huge problem, both teens and parents need to learn that there can be severe consequences from as little as one drink. Allowing them to think this kind of behavior is acceptable will haunt them for the rest of their lives, even if they are not alcohol related. Believing that such behavior is acceptable now will lead them to bad decision-making skills in the future when faced with an ethical decision. Teens need to know the major effects can come from underage drinking before going to that party or when being pressured into something they may not be willing to participate in. It is obvious that the long and short-term effects of alcohol abuse can be easily avoided by getting educated and thinking before engaging in any self-destructive
As one of the major social problem, underage drinking can cause negative affect on both teenagers themselves and the whole society. Based on the research, approximately 190,000 youth under 21 visited emergency room for alcohol related hurts, even I accompanied one of my friends to ICU for alcohol poisoning nearly month ago. Annually about 5000 individuals under 21 die from it, not including other mature people directly or indirectly killed by them. Meanwhile, child’s brain and emotional developments are still in process until 20s so that taking alcohol will produce great damage on their body health. For example, alcohol can interfere with children’s capacity to build new, short, and lasting memories of information because it shrinks hippocampus about 10
The article "Alcohol Abuse is a Serious Problem for Teenagers," was written by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The article states, "Nearly four million young people suffer from alcohol dependence," and the average age at which children begin to drink is as early as 13. The article goes on to say that the number of children who experiment with alcohol has been rising steadily over the years. The article points out the unfortunate effects of drinking which range from an array of physical illnesses like liver problems and cancer. From the article we learn that because teenagers tend to indulge in binge drinking, they are at higher risk to suffer the consequences of alcohol consumption. According to the article these consequences include developmental problems like lack of growth, a reduced ability to learn, and to psychological problems like depression and suicidal tendencies. Alcohol abuse in turn leads to social problems which include dropping out of school, robbery, and "risky sexual behavior." We learn that alcohol serves as a "gateway-drug," leading to more addictive drugs like cocaine. The article substantiates this claim by citing a study conducted by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. The article also touches on the problem of alcohol used by parents though the primary focus of this piece is about teenage drinking. The purpose of the article is to jolt readers into an awareness of the magnitude of the problem of teenage drinkiing. Most people know that teenagers like to experiment, try the new and forbidden, but the Center assumes that no one is fully aware of how serious this problem can be if it is not addressed.
Hanson, David J., Ph.D. “Drinking Alcohol Damages Teenager’s Brains.” Sociology Deprtment. n.d.. Web. 20 March 2014. .
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
Teenage alcohol abuse is one of the major problems that affect academic performance, cause health problems and is responsible for the death of teenage drivers and sometime their passengers. Many teens drink because they think it is cool and do not understand the dangers of drinking alcohol. In 2008 a survey on the students views on alcohol was conducted in the Atlanta Public School System of 4,241 students surveyed results showed 74% of sixth graders felt there was a health risk while 25% felt there was no health risk; 81% of eighth graders felt there was a health risk, while 19% felt there was none; 82% of tenth graders felt there was a health risk, while 18% felt there was none, and 84% of twelve graders felt there was a health risk, while 15% felt there was none. Given these results on average of all grades, 20% of the students surveyed were unaware of the dangers of alcohol use. If one calculates, using the formular of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2003), “three teens are killed each day when they drink alcohol and drive. At least six more die every day from other alcohol-related causes” (table 79). The impact of this student population’s lack of knowledge equates to 49 of those students per week who most likely will die because they do not understand the dangers of alcohol.2
Curiosity to appear more grown up may be the reason why most adolescents take their first drink of an alcoholic beverage. The ability to seen more grown up can intensify drinking at a younger age. Consequently, as alcohol is seen as the “Forbidden Fruit,” it encourages the want to drink for people under the age of twenty-one.
One article that covers the results of a national survey states that ¡§Adolescents¡¦ levels of alcohol and drug use have been found to be strongly associated with peers¡¦ use. However, other studies have shown that a student¡¦s drinking was more strongly influenced by how much he or she thought close friends drank than by perceptions of the extent of use by students in general¡¨(Results 2). This is a statement that I can agree with because growing up I have watched many young people become greatly influenced by their friends. Now a days the phrase ¡§peer pressure¡¨ concentrates on pressure from a direct group of friends rather than a students peers as a whole. Another reason the article gives for the cause of Binge Drinking is that ¡§Students who perceive that more drinking occurs than actually does provide themselves with an excuse for drinking more because ¡¥everyone is doing it¡¦¡¨ (Results 2). Everyone knows that most youngsters want what every other kid has, this idea relates in the...
According to Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia, “Children and teens given alcohol by their parents are more likely to drink by age 15 or 16” A large number of young people engage in risky patterns of alcohol consumption including binge drinking.
The research done for this study specifically focuses on smoking, underage drinking, and sex. Poor parenting practices, high levels of conflict in the family and a low degree of bonding between children and parents appear to increase risk for problem behavior including the abuse of alcohol, and other drugs (Farrell & White 1998). “Generally gateway models show that youth are likely to start with beer and cigarettes, later try marijuana still later use upper, and only then move onto drugs such as downers, PCP, or heroin” ((Farrell & White 1998) Oetting & Beauvais, 1987). Drugs are a common form of peer pressure as stated before it begins with cigarettes then develops to more harmful drugs. “ In addition, transitions to increased levels of smoking have been linked to friends’ encouragement and approval, and the message conveyed that smoking promoted popularity” ( Kobus,
Not much is known about how alcohol develops the adolescent brain but it can be concluded that a variety of negative side effects will be attached. Research shows that brain development continues well into a person’s twenties (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, "Underage Drinking”). Alcohol can affect this development, and contribute to a range of problems.
Alcohol is, unfortunately, one of the most easily obtainable and most dangerous substances on the market. Although the legal purchasing and consuming age for alcoholic products is twenty-one, that does not stop younger people from abusing it. Not only is this illegal, but also quite dangerous. A common misconception about alcohol for children is that the legal, mental, and physical consequences of using alcohol “end” once a person becomes of the legal drinking age. The truth of the matter is that the dangers of alcohol consumption extend far beyond the age of twenty-one and into adulthood. Alcohol can have devastating effects for people of all ages. “Alcohol causes the most severe and widespread adverse health consequences of all drugs of abuse, affecting virtually every organ system. Fortunately, many of these require many years of drinking so they are not commonly found in adolescents” (Milhorn). Not only can alcohol destroy the life of the consumer, but can ...
Alcohol has been linked to several horrible issues. The consequences of these problems include stiff fines, jail time, suspension of privileges and even death. The corollary of drinking alcohol can cause immense guilt, and even rifts in relationships with family and others. With booze being so bad it must be awful to get started drinking young. “…more than half of America’s teenagers have had at least one drink by age 15 and the percentage increases to 70% by age 18.” (Sober Nation) Teen drinking is a definite issue within the U.S.; its effects on an adolescent’s mind is horrendous; however, there is a way to fix this epidemic.
The use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs during adolescence and early adulthood remains a serious health problem in the United States. Among the drug classes, alcohol is the most frequently used substance by adolescents and that is followed by marijuana and tobacco. The consequences of alcohol and drug abuse are critical on both a personal and social level. For the developing young adult, drug and alcohol abuse threatens motivation, hinders the cognitive processes, increases the risk of accidental injury or death, and contributes to debilitating mood disorders. In addition, it contributes to educational failure, juvenile crime, increase in mental health services, and high cost of health care.