Alcohol Use Among Adolescents Essay

“According to the CDC, about 90% of all teen alcohol consumption occurs in the form of Binge Drinking, which experts say peaks at the age of nineteen.” (qtd by Listfield). Binge Drinking is the consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. The author, Emily Listfield, defines that the standard alcohol consumption over a two hour period is considered to be four beers for women and five beers for men. This has become a great distraction for college students nationwide and a major dilemma on college campuses. Nearly two hundred thousand students visit emergency rooms each year due to the abuse of alcohol, and more than one thousand seven hundred students die. In the article “ The Underage Drinking Epidemic”, Listfield identifies the problems that underage drinking can cause, the dangers that could happen, and four solutions on what parents can do to keep their kids from binge drinking.

According to Andrew Herman, “Each year, 14,000 die from drinking too much. 600,000 are victims of alcohol related physical assault and 17,000 are a result of drunken driving deaths, many being innocent bystanders” (470). These massive numbers bring about an important realization: alcohol is a huge issue in America today. Although the problem is evident in Americans of all ages, the biggest issue is present in young adults and teens. In fact, teens begin to feel the effects of alcohol twice as fast as adults and are more likely to participate in “binge-drinking” (Sullivan 473). The problem is evident, but the solution may be simple. Although opponents argue lowering the drinking age could make alcohol available to some teens not

Adolescence, usually defined as individuals between the ages of 12 and 20, is a period of transition, brain development and challenges1, 2, 3. Adolescence is the peak time to engage in risk taking behaviors2. Substance use is a common occurrence among adolescents. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse has identified adolescent substance use as one of the United States’ top public health concerns4. In fact, an individual’s chance of becoming a cigarette smoker drastically declines if smoking is not initiated by the time the individual is 18 years old. Alcohol and Marijuana are the most commonly used substances among adolescents1,2,3. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Study, the Center for Antisocial Drug Dependence, Monitoring the

Education is another great way to prevent the number of teenage alcoholics from rising any further. We can control this situation with just a couple lessons and speeches to inform kids about the consumption of alcohol by explaining how it affects their mind psychologically. Sure, drinking may cause stress relief and relaxation to the teenagers burdened with the amount of schoolwork and deciding their future. However, when

In the United States today many teens have the problem of underage drinking. Whether they do it to look cool or to have fun, it is an enormous problem. In fact, one our four teens state that the would ride with a driver that is intoxicated (“Underage Drinking”). This shows that teenagers and not only irresponsible with alcohol, but also uniformed of the serious consequences. Although the rates of underage drinking have dropped within time, there are still ways to lower these rates more (Klass). With much research and problem solving, I have come up with three different ways to lessen the issue of underage drinking. The three options I focused my research on was changing the way colleges teach, lowering the drinking age, and informing

A prominent topic that is being discussed through research done and surveys taken from students all over the United States is the topic of binge drinking. Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking, five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women, that raises the blood alcohol content (BAC) to 0.08 percent or higher (Nguyen, 2013). People that participate in this type of drinking are far more susceptible to drug use, drunk driving, suicide, alcohol poisoning, and sexually transmitted diseases (Nguyen, 2013). Studies also show that those who start drinking in their early teen years have a greater risk of worse outcomes as adults, such as problems with health and trouble attaining new information (Norström & Pape, 2012). Among college

Nearly 25 percent of teens drink alcohol because they think it is fun; however the problems it may bring are not so fun (Hyde 22). There over six times more teen deaths per year from alcohol than any other drug (O’Malley 30). Alcohol affects the body of teens as well as all of the developmental processes. A major issue of teens drinking is that it increases the chance of becoming an alcoholic in the future; which leads to lowered self-control, impaired judgment, and lowered inhibition (Heath 12). Alcohol can completely change the life of a teen from the time they start drinking till death. Alcohol affects so many aspects of a person’s life and once it does, it is so hard to get life back to normal. Alcohol effects teens by harming them

Underage alcohol drinking can have devastating effects on teenagers. It can affect teens' grades, health and many other things as well. The reasons why teenagers consume alcohol are pretty clear. What aren’t clear are the solutions to eliminating, or at least reducing the number of underage drinkers. It is vital that we do something to at least suppress this problem. By taking action, we can greatly reduce the number of underage drinkers and it could also save not only their lives, but also someone else's life as well. Underage drinking can cause many health problems as well as educational problems in a teen’s life; therefore our country needs to decrease the number of underage drinkers by increasing both the price of alcohol as well as the legal drinking age.

Alcohol abuse in high school teens is very common . Three-fourths of high school seniors have experimented with alcohol, according to a report by the Fairfax, Va.-based Society for Prevention Research.(M. C. B 1) . 95% of the time high schoolers start drinking because of peer pressure . Also, males are likely to start drinking before females do .Teens that drink often are three times more likely to commit self-harm such as cutting or suicide attempts than teens that don’t drink. Adolescent drinking represents a significant problem in the United States (Doumas 1) . The Effects of Alcohol Abuse in High School teenagers are death, low academics, and health issues .

My project is a workshop, that intends to educate, create, and equip, the adolescents, fifteen to nineteen, on responsible drinking habits. As well as enlighten them on the several consequences that are associated with irresponsible drinking behaviors. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that, “Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States.” (CDC, 2016) The reason I am interested in this topic is for several reasons. First, it interests me because, a year -ago I lost my eighteen-year-old brother in a drunk driving accident. After his death, I became more interested and even passionate about wanting to educate minors on how to be responsible when consuming alcohol. In my research, I have discovered shocking statistics on underage drinking behaviors.

Teenage drinking has become one of the largest social issues among young people in America to this day. Although more than half of high schoolers drink on a regular basis, the problem is that they are not aware of how dangerous alcohol can actually be. The reality is that alcohol is often the cause of many problems among these teenagers. And because underage drinkers do not know the consequences alcohol ruins many young people 's lives, and is now of the most serious problems young people face. “In 2012 alone, nearly 3/4 of students (72%) have consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of high school, and more than 1/3 (37%) have done so by 8th grade” (“11 Facts About Teens and Alcohol." 11 Facts About Teens and Alcohol. Web. 01 Mar. 2016). Not only can teenagers be peer pressured into drinking by their friends but their family and reputation may also play a major role in why they drink. Underage drinking tears apart our society and must be eradicated before it causes any more damage.

Putting an End to Underage Drinking Underage drinking has become a major problem in society. It is almost inevitable that a majority of teenagers will choose to drink at a younger age because alcohol has become more accessible through the use of fake IDs, and parents have become more willing to provide alcohol to their children in social settings. Once teenagers enter college, they are more susceptible to drink alcohol because of the numerous parties and social experiences that are offered to them, resulting in the constant rise of underage drinking. In order to address underage drinking as a problem in society, I would like to approach an audience of teenagers, specifically college students, and inform them of the consequences that underage drinking implicates. Furthermore, to solve the problem of underage drinking, I would like to offer the solution that the audience should improve their self-control and resist the temptation to consume alcohol to prevent the destruction of their health at a young age.

Teenagers are America’s greatest natural resource, and they need to be protected from some of the evils that lurk in the world. A subject that needs special attention is the abuse of alcohol by teens. Statistics show that there is a problem currently between teens and alcohol. There are many causes of teenage drinking and effects that prove that drinking is an important issue that needs to be dealt with to preserve American teenagers. Teenage drinking will become worse of a problem if it continues unchecked on its current path to destruction. Alcohol abuse among teenagers in the United States is a plague that is destroying the structure of American society.

Teenage binge drinking (consumption of five or more alcohol drinks in a row) has grown to be a serious problem in the United States. A report in 2009 from the Surgeon General’s office show alcohol consumption by teens start as early as 11 years of age for boys and 13 years of age for girls (Grant & Dawson, 1997). In the youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Report (2007), data results showed that over three million teenagers in grades 6 through 12 are alcoholics, and several million teens have serious health issues due to drinking. Further research conducted by the Harvard School of Public health (2006) show a direct correlation of automobile accidents, alcohol poisoning, poor academic performance. violence and

Alcohol consumption amongst youth is not a new issue – New Zealand has a long standing history of alcohol consumption both good and bad. In New Zealand, as is also around the world, the consumption of alcohol has baggage both good and bad. It is seen on a positive note as a social enabler, it allows oneself to let their guard down a bit and feel at ease in situations out of their normal comfort zones, however to every story there is also a flip-side, and this is the idea that alcohol consumption is the cause of social harm.