Teen Binge Drinking

“Automobiles are not ferocious.... it is man who is to be feared,” as Robbins B. Stoeckel remarked, enumerates a simple, yet fundamental concept- a vehicle in itself is a relatively safe, that is, until you put a person behind the controls. Further adding to the danger is the ever prevalent risk of a fellow driver being impaired by the usage of alcohol; perhaps the only thing that may make such a situation even more difficult and dangerous is one who is under the legal alcohol drinking age. Fewer situations are more life threatening than when an underage driver has been illegally consuming alcohol, yet persists in the belief that he or she retains the ability to drive safely. Thoughts along this line are foolish at best and deadly at

What do you think when you hear the word “teenager”? Most people think of teenagers as pugnacious and restless human beings. Their rebellious and rambunctious behavior usually leads people to believe this. Teens tend to participate in jeopardous activities such as dangerous driving, binge-drinking, or fighting that could land them in serious trouble, the ER or the police station. Although engaging in these exercises is strongly frowned upon, some studies show that most of these actions cannot be controlled. Adolescents are drawn to risky acts due to specific messengers in the brain, peer pressure and their odd methods of apprehending the outcomes of a situation.

Driving while intoxicated persists to be a major problem amongst teenage drivers. Although there are many precautions taken in order to prevent this type of activity, whether by the school, media or parents’, teens proceed to place themselves into these very high risk situations. These persistent behaviors drive us to look further into why teens partake in this type of activity or better yet what and who is influencing this age group. As asked by the principal I will attempt to explain this behavior using several theories

Drunk driving is an issue that effects many people across our nation. People do not realize the affects alcohol can have on the body and mind that slow decision making while driving. This issue begins in the home. Children see their parents, or other adults figures, have a beer or a cocktail and get in the car. Thus, making it seem like it is acceptable to drink and drive. “One in three people will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetime” (MADD).

Drinking and driving is one of the biggest social issues for teens across the United States. Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after consuming alcohol is a very dangerous thing no matter what age you are. However, teens do not think about the consequences of drinking and driving until it is already too late. Many things contribute to this growing problem of teen drinking and driving. First, there is a lack of education about drinking and driving in schools today. Next, peer pressure is difficult for many teens to resist. Finally, the access that teens have to alcohol and to vehicles is not monitored. According to blah blah study, 000% of high school students admit

January 20, Erica Bushick, 18, was found dead in her dorm room at Miami University in Ohio. Erica and her friend begin drinking at 10:00 PM on January 19. The two young ladies consumed two champagne bottles and vodka. Ericka had to be carried to her room by the cab driver due to her being unable to walk because she was too intoxicated. Erica roommate took pictures of her while she was sleep and posted them on social media at 1:00 AM. The next morning Erica was found cold and still lying, so the roommate called the police. The police department then came to the scene and pronounce Erica dead at 9:00 AM. (Hammil, 2017).

Teens who take on the responsibility of being a designated driver are sometimes still pressured into drinking. Teens who get peer pressured into drinking when they know they had a responsibility to drive later often still do. Some teens decide to drink a little bit at parties so it looks like they are trying to get drunk to other teens around them in order to look or feel cool. “While 71% of teens have tried alcohol by the end of high school, far fewer drink to get drunk” (Barker, 2013, p. 6). When a teen gives into peer pressure or takes “just one sip,” they do not always know what they are getting themselves into. "Most kids wildly overestimate the prevalence of

Binge Drinking is a problem for college students who are expose to an unlimited access of alcohol for the first time ever. Studies have found that an individual’s critical thinking ability is impaired because of alcohol consumption.

Although the rate of college drinking has begun to decrease, the dangerous situations that occur due to drinking remains high. These dangers include drunk driving, unconsentual sex, assault, and suicide. In particular, women tend to be taken advantage of sexually more often if they have been consuming alcohol. These situations that occur are largely due to the fact that college students binge drink whenever they consume alcoholic beverages. Binge drinking also leads to higher incidences of alcohol poisoning, as the body is unable to filter out the same alcohol as it is consumed.

For my research project I decided to look at binge drinking in teens. Binge drinking interested me because so many teenagers drink alcohol when they go out and don’t know what consequences it has on the body. Binge drinking is the consumption of an unreasonable amount of alcohol in a short period of time. I have chosen to research ‘What are the psychological and physiological effects of binge drinking in teens?’. I chose this question because I wanted to inform myself and other teens on the effects of binge drinking. The research methods used throughout my research were internet articles and a survey.

The perennial problem of binge drinking, especially among college students, is an important issue that must be solved as soon as possible.

Even though the legal age to start drinking in the United States is twenty-one, most teenagers tend to start drinking beforehand. These teenagers drink more heavily than adults do; therefore, developmental issues tend to be a factor that may affect a teenager’s system if they drink throughout their lifespan. Although teenagers are aware that drunk driving can be fatal and can cause permanent damage, they recklessly get behind the wheel under the

This review was written and conducted by Thomas Marcotte, Nicole Bekman, Rachel Meyer, and Sandra Brown. The title of the review is, “High-Risk Driving Behaviors among Adolescent Binge Drinkers”, and was published in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse (2012). The authors hypothesize that adolescent binge drinkers is are non-compliant of graduated license laws, engage in high-risk driving behaviors, and have more negative driving outcomes (crashes, traffic tickets), more than nondrinking adolescents. The participants were California residents between the ages of 16 and 18 years old and were recruited from different school districts as part of a longitudinal study. Altogether, there was a total of 38 participants. A total of

Low graduation rate can be problem due to alcohol abuse in high school teenagers . Teens can get stressed about school turn to alcohol and drop out of school. According to national survey data, 66% of students surveyed report alcohol use by the end of high school (Doumas 1). National survey data indicate alcohol use increases substantially from the 10th to 12th grade , including increases in lifetime prevalence of alcohol use and drunkenness, past 30- day alcohol use, and binge drinking in the past 2 weeks (Doumas 1). One explanation for the high rates of alcohol use and heavy drinking in high school juniors and seniors is that this period is associated with a high level of risky decision making and greater autonomy (Doumas

          Alcohol is the most widely used drug among youth. It causes serious and potentially life-threatening problems for this population. Research indicates that drinking is associated with risk-taking and sensation-seeking behavior among adolescents. Alcohol has disinhibiting effects that may increase the likelihood of unsafe activities.In 1997, 21 percent of the young drivers 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes were intoxicated. For young drivers, alcohol involvement is higher among males than among females. In 1997, 25 percent of the young male drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking at the time of the crash, compared with 12 percent of the young female drivers