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Why Do Teenagers Drink Alcohol?
Why do teenagers drink alcohol? And what do they find so good about it?
Teenagers, like adults, drink alcohol for many different reasons, although some of them are different for teens. Your question is on teens and so I'll restrict my answer to that population.
Teens are more likely to start experimenting with drinking if they have parents who drink, if they have friends who are also drinking, and if their parents don't give them clear messages about not drinking outside the house (if they are allowed to drink some wine with dinner, for instance).
Also, alcohol is a powerful drug and changes how you feel. Some of the initial sensations at lower blood alcohol levels are pleasant and it is this sensation that many teens, as well as adults, seek. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. So if you're tense or uptight, drinking some alcohol will, at least initially, reduce some of that tension and help you "chill out." There are many other reasons why teens drink but to answer in depth would take an entire book. If you're concerned about some of your friends' drinking, consider talking with an adult in whom you can confide.
Also, if you yourself are a teen, consider talking with an adult you trust or a counselor. Drinking, especially heavy drinking (4 or more for women, 5 or more for men) can significantly increase your risk for alcohol-related problems and health problems. Yes, even at your age.
Whatever you do, don't drink anything and drive. The risk of being in a fatal crash is much higher at much lower blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) for drivers under 21 years of age. Here's a graph that shows the risk by age and BACs).
If you're a parent reading this, there's new data (May, 2010) on parental attitudes and teen drinking at http://tinyurl.com/2uggdle Rather than paraphrase their conclusions I've cut and pasted them here:
Significant relationships were found between young people's drinking behaviours and perceptions of risk and protective factors in the family environment. Parental monitoring was strongly associated with family closeness and appeared to form one part of a parenting style of more general communication and regulation of children's behaviour.
Findings support the need for alcohol misuse prevention interventions which address risk and protective factors within the family setting. Timing of such prevention work should be related both to the development of family relationships and the age at which young people begin drinking alcohol.
About the Author:
Reid K. Hester, Ph.D., Director, Research Division, Behavior Therapy Associates, 9426 Indian School Rd NE, Suite 1, Albuquerque, NM 87112. Phone: 505.345.6100. Dr. Hester is has developed an evidence-based, web application called ModerateDrinking.com to help heavy drinkers be successful in changing their drinking. A video demo of the program is available at www.behaviortherapy.com
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thanks for this information it help on my project
hi i like drinking u are all very nice people i hope u all drink safly
HEYYYYYYYYYYYYY STOPPP DRINKINGG!!!!!!!!!!! ITS BAD!!!!!!!!;)
thanks this helped me on my school report worth about my grade
thanks so much this will help me on my school paper
this was an amazing article.
Teenagers drink because they are apart of a age group that is apart of a social group that drinks. Its popular to have fun, thats a common fact. Drinking relaxes your body and thats pleasent. There is also the fact that its not allowed so it kind of gives it that rebellious factor to it. Bottom line drinking is not bad, just the way that teens have to use it. We have to hide the fact we drink from our parents because we dont want to get in troubble. If we were allowed to go to a local bar or resturant then we would not binge drink every time we got ahold of a beer. The drinking age of 21 is not where it should be.
honestly, drinking lets me escape from reality. i let loose , like i am crazy. they say when your drunk, your the person you've always wanted to be! thats true for me im usualy a quiet chill person but when i drink or get drunk or tipsy im very hyperactive and loud!
this is soo helpful for my assignment!! love it!! and ima use some of it on my report!! THANKS!!!!!
hey well i drink to have fun,be carefree,relax and let go the extra stress.for me it makes me hella happy and stressfree.its true if your family drinks you might want to see how its like but its not peerpressure i dont believe in that its all willpower you either want to start or stop drinking its all up to you noone.once i realized how good i felt from drinking i just continued with it.i consume a whole bottle of alchol everyday but realizing how much i am changing but than i need another way to cope with things...
haha.dang everyone calm down...im a recent drinker i consume bout a bottle of vodka every school day at lunch.for me i like drinking because its a coper,i can just chill relax and forget all my stress,problems and hard life.sure my memory is not good but i am still smart.if teenagers want to quite they will its all will power.heres what i say if there is parents or someone who tells them not to do that the kid will do it that just how it is.if the government dont like teens consuming they should do something bout it cause talk isnt going to solve it!i like to drink also cause i like feeling all stupid and carefree haha party it up!!
Why do girls drink? I never can find a answer I am looking for. Its like man your the girls that brings the future ( babbies). So why drink if your just hurting yourself n hurting the future. You night not care about the world but care about your self. Why have fun with drinking if whut that's only ganna help you for a while but when the changes in your body kick in wut now? How will you feel? Having fun still? No obviously so why drink girls. You can do other activities like sports you can help others and I'm sure you can have a life without alcohol and a life with friends who really care about you. Girls don't drkink and hurt yourself instead help yourself to grow to be someome who made something for the wlorld someone who can say I belong in this world I made a change......
Thanxx i hav 2 do an end ov yr test on dis nd dis article has helped me so much!!!
Ration is something incredible that God granted us, and under any circumstances it is not of any wisdom to close it off by drinking. We need our minds alot, specially under pressure or in any dilemma. We deserve to live because we are awake. By the way ration is the only thing that separate us from being animals.
Wow people who drink are crazy!!!!
this is very true most teens drink out of depression.i have a girlfriend who spent her earlier years drinking and its cause it helps them forget.thnx this is also for a project at school...
Im a tennager who drinks way to much. i just drink bc i hate life and have no freinds
Thanks i have to do a research project on this and this has help me alot, to see other peoples point of view..
drinking is so not cool cusz im 18 and thats how 1/2 my family and friends end up....dead or in juvie or prison...sorry i dont drink and might 1 day but not now....
Well that give me a good idea about alcohol.
We thank you!
hey this tips rocks! its goin to help me on my article that am doin in school about teenagers drinking i hope some teenagers stop because my opinion its that drinking well you know and i know that its not! goin to take you no WHERE!! keep that in mind when you are about to drink so if your one of those person that thinks drinkin!! helps solve your problems or forget about things/feelings well it doesn't! so if you got some problems just talk to an adult that u truth alot! and tell him/her what your problem is and how you could solve it and this goes to all the adults just try to stop drinking and help the childrens to stop to i have seen some childrens 8,9,10and so on that they have started drinking and thats not good for them it'll just make their lifes wroth! thanks for yall time and stopping by reading my comment
We drink because it's funn!!
WELL FROM EXPERIENCE FRIENDS ARE WAT KIBD OF STARTS U OFF WITH DRINKING AND ALSO PARENTS BUT ITS NOT REALLY TRUE THAT WE START DRINKING B/C OF THEM B/C IF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE THAT THEN EVEN KIDS IN ELEMENATRY WOULD BE DOING THIS BUT MOST LIKELY KIDS FROM 11 AND UP DRINK FOR DEPRESSION OR THEY THINK ITS FUN.FROM EXPERIENCE IM A TEEN WHO STARTED DRINKING OF DEPRESSION AND I THINK THIS IS IONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES WE HAVE NOW AND DAYS. OFCOURSE WEN I WAS YOUNG I USED TO DRINK MORE. ALSO I THINK TEENS START TO DRINK BECUASE AS WE DEVELOP WE START WANTING TO EXPERIENCE NEW THINGS JUST LIKE AN ADULT. THATS WHY I SAY ADULTS ARE JUST LIKE TEENS BUT NOT ALL. =)
i drink basically every saturday night . my parents buy my alcohol and me and my friends and me go to partys . we go to house partys where theres usually no parents and its awesome ! i started about last year , but i can only handle about 8 cans %7 , it really depends how fast i drink . i dont skull my drinks back but i drink with a straw cos yu get wasted faster , and it just brings my confidence up & i love it !
yo i Freaken love to drink ok dude alcoho is my friend and it helps me through most of my problems i love it so quit complaning
Thank you! This will really help me with my science project. I'll be able to speak properly now, using the essay AND the different opinions. :)
Sometimes at night I just want to open up a quart and drink it all and pass out.
sooo why does everybody think tht drinking is soo bad i mean sure it can damage ur health but its fun and it relaxes u from ur really harsh days at school or work...