TEENAGE DRINKING: ALCOHOL ABUSE
TEENAGE DRINKING
My name is Matthew and I am a father of two teenagers. One of the two has started drinking heavily, coming back home from parties drunk almost every evening of the week.
Naturally I am very worried about this - having had an father that was an alocholic I know too well how serious a problem alcohol abuse is. That is why I created this page, hoping to gather some information for parents that are facing the same problems.
During the past years, there was only a low percentage of teenage drinking. It’s because parents would not allow their teens to drink wine or beer at meals.
The best way to teach teens to stop drinking is for parents to set as good examples. Before doing anything in front of your children, you must think if it’s the right thing to do. Teens that see their parents drink liquor will think that it is fine, so they will also imitate it. Alcohol use among teens is usually found in private schools. It’s because most students who study in these schools are wealthy. They have the money to buy liquor and sometimes drinking is a result of loneliness, family problems or academic pressure.
Plenty of mothers have no knowledge that their children are drinking. Sometimes parents underestimate their sons and daughters. Teens who are excessive drinkers think that a couple a drinks during a party will not hurt them. They think that party is fun and alcohol use is part of the fun. Excessive drinking can affect a person’s behavior and health. Parents should be vigilant when their teenagers are attending parties. They should discourage them from drinking. If he wants to attend a party, tell him that you are available to pick him up. Teens should know that they can rely on their parents. Make friends with your children.
Parents should discuss the dangerous effects of teenage drinking to their children. Tell them that alcohol use can ruin their lives. It can destroy relationships with friends and families. It can even control your life. Cite some examples and statistics to make it more real. People can be killed because of alcohol use. Once they know these things they can make the correct choices. Discouraging teenagers from drinking is something that parents should do because the future of their children is at stake.
If you’re drinking habit is causing you problems in different aspects of your life then you are having an alcohol abuse. Many people would only drink a small to moderate amount of alcohol just for relaxation or social activities. This type of drinking is not dangerous for adults. However, excessive drinking which can destroy relationships, health, work or school may be harmful. Your problem might start from being mild and gradually increases to being severe. Your alcohol problem will depend mostly on how much you have drank and how often you drink alcohol.
Moderate drinking is a type of drinking habit which does not cause problems. This is also considered as low risk. People that belong to this category are those men who drink twice a day, women who drink once a day and people over 65 who drink once a day. Women and older people over 65 are limited only to one drink per day because they have lesser amount of water in their bodies. However, this guide for moderate drinking does not apply to some people who are pregnant or wants to get pregnant, individuals who are driving, people who have harmful conditions and persons who are under 21 years old.
At-risk drinking is a type of drinking habit which can cause certain problems. This occurs when men drank 14 or more during the week and women drank 7 or more per week. Alcohol abuse occurs when major problems arise within a year of drinking. These problems include violating laws because of alcohol, being irresponsible at school or work, broken relationships with friends and family. If the abuse of alcohol is not treated quickly, it may lead to alcohol dependence or alcoholism. This is also known as alcohol addiction which is very fatal. It is impossible to cure this disease but it can be controlled.
Teenage drinking can result to serious problems. Probably the most serious effect of alcohol use among teenagers is adult dependence. Base on the report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, teenagers who drink before the age of 15 are the ones who are prone to develop alcohol addiction than those who start drinking at the age of 21.
Driving under the influence of liquor is very dangerous among teenagers. Most car accidents which are alcohol related mostly involve teenagers. Sometimes these teenagers who drive while under the influence are those who are too afraid to call home for a ride. They are not aware that driving after drinking alcohol is not safe. Another serious effect of alcohol use is the dangerous behaviors that may occur on teenagers. Intoxicated teenagers can do wild things that they never dreamed of doing.
Alcohol use may lead to drug use. Teenagers may feel that if alcohol drinking is okay then drugs are also okay for them. Sometimes teens might experiment the use of drugs while they are intoxicated. Teenage drinking can also result to a poor performance in school. These teens cannot concentrate on doing their projects and assignments. They will have no more time to study and sometimes they get failing grades. They find it difficult to have good relationships with their peers and teachers. Teenagers who are using alcohol can also experience family problems. They will withdraw from their family and they would have behavioral problems.
Another serious effect of alcohol use among teenagers is health problems. Excessive use of alcohol can lead to liver problems, heart problems and stomach ulcers. Although these health problems are commonly seen on adults, but if teenagers will not stop drinking they may get these diseases when they become adults. Teenage drinking is illegal that is why teenagers who are under the influence will resort in doing illegal things.
Alcohol abuse can be applied to individuals who drink a lot of liquor which sometimes lead to vomiting. But for college students, they describe this as “having a good time” and they simply want to be part of the group.
Drinking has been a part of our society. Sometimes we share a bottle of wine during dinner or celebrate a special occasion with a bottle of champagne. There are also some people who enjoy going out and drinking with friends. Alcohol use is very common nowadays, that is why it’s very hard to determine if you have crossed the line. It’s very important that you must be aware of the signs of alcohol abuse and take the necessary steps.
First you must understand the problem in order to overcome it. There are some people who drink regularly and yet they have not experienced any harmful effects except maybe for hangovers. There are also other people who drink occasionally and suffer alcoholism. There are many causes for drinking problems which includes genetics, environment and health. A person who has a history of alcoholism or a person who is suffering from anxiety and depression are the ones who are likely to have drinking problems. Sometimes it is too hard to draw the line between drinking problem and social drinking. Try to remember that if your drinking is the cause of your problems then it’s time to stop it.
Are you having a drinking problem? You may have a drinking problem if you are not satisfied with just one drink. Or maybe if you are ashamed to admit about you’re drinking to other people. You may even hide your drinking or even worse you just lie about it. This can make your friends and relatives worry about your alcohol addiction. Sometimes you can feel better if you drink while others would just forget about everything once they got drunk.