Teenage Drinking Essay

These numbers reveal that teenagers face an apparent exposure to drugs, and have little trouble getting a hold of some if desired. This article concludes that drug use and its consequences are not stressed enough in the current high school curriculum. The statistics prove that more needs to be done to identify and educate students at risk for drug use.

Considering that many teens are drinking illegally and also choosing to drive, many teens in our nation are lacking maturity. In Dying of Acceptance it states, “Alcohol abuse is involved in almost thirty percent of all academic problems, and about one-third of all emotional difficulties. A study done by the Nemours foundation found that teens who drink alcohol regularly are more likely to have problems in school, try drugs, and be delinquent” (Esherick 60). In addition to this fact, American teens show more likelihood to develop long-term alcoholism. Alcohol, like certain other drugs, is relatively easy to acquire. Some might even feel that alcohol is better than other drugs due to its easy accessibility. “Alcohol, like nicotine, is a gateway to later use of drugs” (Esherick 64). Gateway drugs are truly a gateway to trouble. Teens are more susceptible to the influence of drugs. If drugs are taken in the teenage years, it's likely that the teen will become addicted to the substances with little continuation. This shows how dangerous drugs can be and how a legal drug can be just as dangerous as an illegal drug. Drug use can result in highly delinquent behavior. Alone, drug use can create unwanted tensions. Young adults who use alcohol are not in the best state of mind, and will often influence the younger adolescents. Juvenile delinquency is commonly defined as general misbehavior involving children under the age of eighteen;

Alcoholism is a growing problem in the United States. It can, and oftentimes does, result in illnesses and deaths. “Alcohol is the world’s third largest risk factor for disease and contributes to 4 [percent] of the global burden of disease” (Marshall, 2014). In relation to alcoholism, specifically adolescent alcoholism is a growing concern in the United States. The age at which young people are starting to experiment with alcohol is younger than ever. Dr. Don Macdonald explains that this may most likely be due to the fact that it is legal for the majority of the population. Therefore, adolescents are able to access and get a hold of alcohol more easily than they can other drugs – such as marijuana, heroin, cocaine, etc.

One may be astonished to discover that in 2012 “..about 17 percent of American high school students were drinking, smoking or using drugs during the school day” and this number has remained relatively stagnant throughout the years (Kuczynski-Brown). The amount of students who take part in the illegal acts of drinking, smoking, and drug use has been difficult to combat. Students do not understand that these substances can result in harmful consequences down the road. This is why it is imperative that, as a society, we begin looking for solutions to defeat these harmful habits, and sometimes, addictions. The earlier we begin to inculcate the effects of these substances on the young, the better. That is why the prime-time to spread this message

Alcohol remains the most commonly used substance among youth in the United States with use rates far exceeding that of other substances. Nationally, almost half of all tenth graders and thirty percent of eighth graders drink alcohol (Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 2015). Teen alcohol use results in the death of 4,700 youth per year (Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 2015). In Texas, 67% of high school students have used alcohol at least once in their lifetime and 36% drank alcohol in the past month (Texans Standing Tall, 2013). Parents commonly ignore or underestimate the problem of underage drinking. While one is six teens binge drink, only 1 in 100 parents believes his or her teen binge drinks (Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 2015).

Substance use disorder, misuse, and dependence are among the most prevalent causes of adolescent morbidity and mortality in the United States (Brannigan, Schackman, Falco, & Millman, 2004; Newcomb and Bentler, 1988a; Sussman, Dent, and Galaif, 1997). Substances of all types are being widely used or misused by teens and emerging adults in the United States (Johnston et al., 2004). Adolescent substance misusers experience numerous social, economic, physical, and legal consequences, for example, truncated development (Newcomb and Bentler, 1988b). Substance use–related disorders are associated with such problems as poor academic performance, job instability, teen pregnancy, and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Crimes such as stealing, vandalism, and violence are associated with “heavy drug use” in adolescence. Adverse immediate consequences occur (e.g., overdoses and accidents). Also, drug-using youths are more likely to develop disorganized thinking and unusual beliefs that may interfere with problem-solving abilities and emotional functioning and may lead to greater social isolation and depression (Sussman and Ames, 2001), though the prevalence of dysfunctional thinking is not known. Substance dependent adolescents endure consequences of additional problems such as drug tolerance effects, withdrawal symptoms, and preoccupation with using a drug to the exclusion of other activities.

The influence of alcohol and drugs is not a social issue that only involved college-age population. Starting that education begins at home we can estimate this is a general problem in today's society that can be limited only to youngest.

According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, tobacco use in America starts during youth and young adulthood. 88% of adults who smoke tobacco said that they began smoking or using tobacco products before the age of 18. The use of tobacco products causes many deathly body affects such as lung cancer and heart diseases. Another substance that is popular among youth is the drug called marijuana. In America, over 10% of people ages twelve to seventeen smoke marijuana. Some of these users smoke almost every day. Although marijuana has started to become used for medical purposes, there are still negative side effects for people of such young ages. For example, since marijuana goes directly to the bloodstream it affects brain functions and learning abilities, coordination, as well as judgment. Despite the fact that the amount of youth using drugs is still higher than most Americans want it to be, in earlier decades it was much worse. During the 1980’s over fourteen percent of youth were using just marijuana. Those youth were also using drugs like cocaine, meth, and tobacco products. During the 1980’s, the percentage of youth in prison began to rise. A study was conducted to see how many of these children in jail used drugs before their arrests and from these tests, it was observed that over 56% of them used drugs. The reason for such a high percentage in youth is that drug dealers and drug users began to target schools. Students would be

The district I decided to analyze was Marysville Joint Unified School District. I have had the pleasure to teach in this district for almost a year now. As a physical education teacher, it is important to understand the health habits of my students. If students are not taking care of their bodies the chances of them living a long time diminishes. After analyzing the survey, I noticed that in this district there are major signs of drug and alcohol use. Over their lifetime 43% of 11th graders have used alcohol and 34 % have used marijuana. 29% of the 11th graders have drunk alcohol 4 or more times and 23% have used marijuana 4 or more times. This made me why these percentages are so high at such an early age. I wanted to see parent involvement

Although the MTF only included samples of high school seniors in the report released in 1986, the Monitoring the Future project conducted by the Institute of Survey Research at the University of Michigan periodically surveys the same young adults—who completed high school in the past year or earlier—and eighth, tenth, and twelfth grade students at 400 secondary schools around the country regarding their drug use and attitudes regarding legal and illegal drugs. The high school students complete the self-administered survey in classrooms during school hours each year while a selected representative sample of graduates from each senior class completes a mail-questionnaire every two years. The Institute of Survey Research uses a multi-stage random sampling procedure in order to choose which students participate in the survey by separating the sample by geographic areas, and then choosing classes within one or more secondary schools in each geographic area relative to size.

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.

Just look at the statistics from this study. About 86 percent of US high school students know someone at school who drinks, smokes or does drugs. Approximately 50 percent know which classmate sells drugs. Just over half of the students admit there is a place either on or near their campus where students use drugs before coming to school 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,

Alcohol and marijuana are both depressants and the use is a growing concern in today’s youth by parents, educators, and medical professionals. Cannabis is the most common illicit drug used by adolescence, while alcohol is the leading cause of death in the adolescent years. American society frowns upon the use of any illicit drugs at any age, while alcohol is restricted under 21 because both substances interfere with the memory and learning in the critical learning period. Marijuana is illegal, therefore, being caught with cannabis is much worse than being caught with alcohol while underage. Marijuana also tends to leave a strong odor, which can easily draw attention to authorities. Many teens tend to think that alcohol use has more consequences than marijuana use and therefore view marijuana use as safer than drinking. The decline in teens’ perception of marijuana’s harmfulness could be linked to an increase in medical marijuana dispensaries and the ongoing debate about the medical benefits and legalization of marijuana. Also, in multiple forms of media, the consumption of alcohol is portrayed more often than references of illicit drugs. For example, of the top 200 popular films, 93% portrayed alcohol consumption while 22%referenced illicit drugs.

Alcohol is the number one drug problem among America’s youth. More senior high school students use alcohol than any other psychoactive drug. Family doctors, pediatricians, schoolteachers, and parents know that alcohol is overwhelmingly the drug of choice among today’s youth, although trendier substances such as cocaine are often given more attention in the headlines (Carla Felsted, p. vii). Furthermore, it is widely acknowledged that drinking alcohol is a part of the youth culture in America; it may also be understood as a culturally conditioned and socially controlled behavior.