Childhood Alcoholism And The Effect Of The 12 Step Program For Alcoholics Anonymous As A Form Of Treatment

The 12-step program used by Alcoholics Anonymous is a well-known treatment method that’s used for many types of addiction, not just alcohol. Alcoholics are encouraged to “work” the 12-steps. The first step involves admitting the powerlessness over alcohol. The second step has the alcoholic believe that there is some type of a greater power working that will help aide the alcoholic to reach sobriety, as well as maintain is once reached. This step is an example of the religious influence on the 12-step recovery process.

The counseling student attended two AA meetings as an observer in order to understand the dynamics of the AA culture and to experience the possibilities of working in the field of addictions. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the various behavioral patterns of use described in the AA meetings (e. g., intensity, frequency, length of time and attempts to quit). This paper also identifies other necessary information required for proper assessment and diagnosis. This essay concludes with a synthesis of the information gathered from personal observation and this course’s texts assignments.

According to current statistics released by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, “In the United States in 2011, there were an estimated 25.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17. In the past year, more than one quarter of adolescents drank alcohol, approximately one fifth used an illicit drug, and almost one eighth smoked cigarettes” ("A Day in the Life of American Adolescents," 2013, para. 1). Substance abuse is major problem amongst adolescents. Some are experimenting, but some adolescents may become dependent on a particular substance. If one becomes dependent on a substance as an adolescent it could be detrimental to their future health and success as an adult. Spear (2003) stated in an article titled Alcohol’s

The study of adolescent alcohol dependency is a growing field and offers both captivating and alarming discoveries because more and more younger children are depending on alcohol to function on a daily basis. You would be surprised to know how many young individuals are now dependent on alcohol because of the false advertisement that happens through television commercials and through social influences that surround these

Underage drinking has become an immense problem in the U.S. There are many reasons that lead kids under the age of twenty-one to drink. CNN states that “ Only a sip early on in life could be a problem later on in life” (CNN News). This quote states that having that one drink as an underage drinker won't just affect you then, but it will affect your life later on. Our country has come to realize that we have a problem with teenage alcoholism; schools inform their students about this problem, the news talks about tragic events that have happened involving teenagers under the influence of alcohol, there is even movies that have to do with underage drinking. However, kids today choose to make the wrong decisions and put their

Even though the drinking age is 21 there is still a problem with underage drinkers. When teens get their hands on the alcohol they don’t understand the dangers of it. Therefore, they are careless and feel as if they are invisible and no one can stop them. Luckily, rates of adolescent alcohol use have fallen since the 1980s, but the

“Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth. Many young people are experiencing the consequences of drinking too much, at too early an age. As a result, underage drinking is a leading public health problem in this country. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drownings. Yet, drinking continues to be widespread among adolescents. (NIAAA)

Underage drinking has been present for a long time now and time has help discover that the impact of drinking at a such early age goes beyond a social and moral discussion; it can have several negative effects on the teenage brain causing possible irreversible brain damage and a much higher risk for alcohol - dependency later down the road into adulthood years. Teenage drinking is an important issue in the United States, which is needed of some attention since there is a great amount of minors attracted to this practice. According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in 2013, “35.1 percent of 15-year-olds reported that they have had at least 1 drink in their lives.” Minors start and continue drinking from time to time without

The use of alcohol by adolescents is widely viewed as disobedience in American society. Although, alcohol use is technically illegal until the age of twenty-one (in 19 states the consumption of alcohol in not specifically illegal for people under the age of twenty-one), there is still an excessive use of dinking in teenagers today. Since alcohol is associated with all three leading causes of death among teens,

We can’t completely stop underage drinking but we can try our best to reduce it. By acknowledging the factors that plays a huge part in encouraging teenage alcohol abuse such as environment, personality, or simply genetics. For years we have watched teenagers become a victim to binge drinking alcohol abuse and face the tragic outcomes. Parents and guardians tend to get angry and upset not just at the teens but themselves as well. Instead of addressing the situation with anger and aggression we should all consider the factors that lead them to turn to alcohol or become dependent on it. Alcohol abuse amongst teens has been around for some time now and today the level of underage excessive alcohol consumption continues to progress within time. We, as friends and family, experience the suffering and risks that results from careless alcohol consumption all while feeling completely helpless toward the consumer themselves. By having teenagers acknowledge consequences we will be able to find a better solution and hopefully reduce the lives ruined or at risk by this set

Adolescents drinking is not viewed over in the media, only a very few percentage of reported incidents of adolescents drinking have been on the news, and the ones that go on are only the major incidents that happen. This gives viewers the feeling that teenage drinking is rare and it isn’t a vast problem, while it actually is. 40% of alcohol related fatal car crashes involves teens and 60% of all teen deaths in car crashes are alcohol related. Everyday an average of 11,318 teenagers try alcohol for the first time,

First off, alcohol addiction and abuse among teenagers today is a bigger problem than ever before. The root of the problem lies in the fact that the teens are so exposed to the culture of this day and age, leading them to where they have easy access to alcohol. For example, their parents may already be alcoholics, and it's merely a few bad decisions later which could cause the child to have a few drinks and cloud their judgement. This is a big problem because their young bodies have never encountered anything like alcohol before, so in turn, the body does not know how to process it, and therefore leads to their downfall. A publication released by the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAA) suggests that by age 18, an astounding 60% of US teens would have had at least one drink. Moreover, according to the NIAA, youth between the ages of 12 and 20 will often binge drink as well.

In order to fully understand the threat that underage drinking poses to our country, it is important to realize just how commonplace this sort of inebriation has become. As a result of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a way of monitoring habits among teens, the Center for Disease Control (or CDC) found that nearly thirty-five percent of students had consumed alcohol within one month of taking the questionnaire (Adolescent 1). Statistics revealing widespread intoxication among minors are inherently concerning, since each new drinker is another potential victim of alcohol poisoning, dependence, or one of the many other dangers that drinkers face. Our reaction must be to actively oppose this situation, because although dilemmas of this scale cannot be remedied overnight, and conquering them is no simple task, we are all responsible for leading the charge. Alcohol-related juvenile casualties have plagued this country for too long; in order to save our communities and families from having to face this tragedy, progressive counseling efforts, extensive family outreach and training programs, and a resounding cry for Medical Amnesty laws are the best ways to diminish the death-toll.

The dangers of teenage alcohol abuse are underestimated in our country due to the social acceptability of the drug alcohol. The social acceptability of alcohol itself is seen by the frequency it is categorized separately from other drugs and substances when we talk about use and abuse. Alcohol is a drug but our nation and the media do not want to call it one or treat it like one. Alcohol is a legal drug abused by many teenagers and this paper will address some of the issues today’s teenagers face when dealing with

“In 2009 about 10.4 million young people between ages 12 and 20 drank more than just a few sips of alcohol” (Alcoholism). As kids get older, they drink more. By age 15, half of teens have had at least one drink, and by age 18,