TEENAGE DRINKING

Teenage Drinking

Teenage Drinking

Referring to the news clip of BBC Report this essay Teenage Drinking has been a factor in the past years. There are causes of drinking as well as effects of drinking and solutions. There are many causes that are related to drinking. One cause is peer pressure. Peer pressure comes from older people that are probably already drunk at the time, trying to force a teenager to have an alcoholic drink. Usually the teenager says yes. About 92% of high school seniors have admitted having tried alcohol. Many of them have tried their first drink around the age of 12. Every year 10,000 people from the ages of 16-25 die from alcohol and half of the deaths from car crashes involving impaired vision when driving. "Alcohol related crashes are the leading cause of deaths for teens," states Dr. Mark S. Gold of Fair Oaks Hospital. Teenagers may not have much experience with alcohol, so it's hard for them to judge their own limits. (Edwards, Virginia. 2002. Pp. 23-27) Another cause of teenage drinking is trying to fit in with a group. It might be an initiation process to get in or a week party. A cause of teenage drinking that may influence teenagers drinking is the beer commercials that are advertised on TV during the shows that teenagers watch. Many experts agree that the main reason teens are becoming alcoholics is low self-esteem. Another cause of teenage drinking is escape from stress of school if they are overwhelmed with work or that they get really worried over slipping grades and that they just need to relax. By the time students are in seventh grade sixty-three percent of boys and fifty-four percent of girls have at least tried alcoholic beverages. (Papolos, Demitri 2000 Pp. 34-37) Teenage binge drinking is not only detrimental to health but also affects an individual's behaviour whilst they are under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol affects cognitive, perceptual and motor functions and there is a causal role of alcohol intoxication for almost all types of accidents and violent behaviour. Studies in America have found that teenage binge drinking can be linked to impaired mental and social development, reduced school performance and attainment and increased likelihood of school drop-out. Binge drinking also causes higher levels of psychological problems, particularly anxiety and neurosis, than the same amount of alcohol consumed more steadily over a longer period.

While drinking may be a singular problem behavior for some, research suggests that for others it may be an expression of general adolescent turmoil that includes other problem behaviors and that these behaviors are linked to unconventionality, impulsiveness, and sensation seeking Some effects of teenage drinking are the side effects. Some side effects are hangovers, blackouts, headache, dehydration, and loss of concentration, memory problems, and visual disturbances. Other long-term effects are the cirrhosis of the liver, mental retarded ness, and after a while it can lead to sleeping disorders. Alcohol is a gateway drug that leads to other ...