Alcohol-underage drinking

Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth. Many young people are experiencing the consequences of drinking too much, at too early an age. As a result, underage drinking is a leading public health problem in every country.

 

Why teens drink

Teens are particularly helpless to alcohol use. The physical changes of puberty might make your teen feel self-conscious and more likely to take risks — such as experiment with alcohol — to fit in or please others. Coping with stress and challenging transitions, such as going from  school to college, moving, or dealing with the effects of parents problems, might also influence a teen or youngster  to drink. Also, your teen might have trouble understanding that his or her actions can have harmful consequences.

Other risk factors include:

Family problems, such as conflict or parental alcohol abuse

A history of childhood abuse or other major trauma

Behavior, school or mental health problems

Close friendships with teens who drink or use other drugs

Consequences of underage drinking

Whatever causes a teen to drink, the consequences might be the same. For example, underage drinking can lead to:

Alcohol-related fatalities. Alcohol-related accidents are a leading cause of teen deaths. Teen drownings, suicides and murders also have been linked with alcohol use.

Sexual activity. Teens who drink tend to become sexually active earlier and have sex more often than do teens who don't drink. Teens who drink are also more likely to have unprotected sex than are teens who don't drink.

School problems. Teens who drink tend to have more academic and conduct problems than do teens who don't drink.

Alcoholism. People who begin drinking as young teens are more likely to develop alcohol dependence than are people who wait until they're adults to drink.

Violent crime. Teens who drink are more likely to be hurt in a violent crime, such as rape, assault or robbery.

Dangers of drinking while young

The years between 16 and 25 are a time of considerable change, as teenagers spread their wings and leave home, many for the first time. While these may be exciting years, widespread alcohol use means they may be risky years as well.

Many of us typically think of college as the setting where older teens and younger 20-somethings drink to excess. However, several studies show that heavy drinking is widespread among allyoung adults regardless of whether or not they attend college. College students tend to drink less often than nonstudents, but when they do imbibe—at parties, for example—they tend to drink more.

The prevalent use of alcohol among teens and young adults is alarming for a number of reasons:

Alcohol is a major factor in fatal automobile crashes.

Drinking may have lasting health effects.

 Drinking can lead to sexual assaults and rape. 

How to talk to teens about responsible drinking

As a parent, grandparent, teacher, or friend, you have a major impact on the choices that the children in your life make, especially during the preteen and early teen years. Talking to young people openly and honestly about drinking is also vitally important. Delaying the age at which young people take their first drink lowers their risk of becoming problem drinkers. That’s reason enough to talk to the teenagers in your life about alcohol, but it’s not the only one. These are some of the other important reasons:

Alcohol has harmful effects on developing brains and bodies.

For adolescents ages 15 to 20, alcohol is implicated in more than a third of driver fatalities resulting from automobile accidents and about two-fifths of drownings.

Drinking interferes with good judgment, leading young people into risky behavior and making them vulnerable to sexual coercion.

Teenagers who use alcohol and tobacco are at greater risk of using other drugs.

Teenagers who drink are more likely to develop behavioral problems, including stealing, fighting, and skipping school.

Underage drinking is illegal.

 

Seeking help for underage drinking

If you doubt and suspect that your teen has been drinking — you've noticed mood changes or behavior problems, for example, or your teen has red or glazed eyes or unusual health complaints — talk to him or her. Enforce the consequences you've established so that your teen understands that using alcohol will always result in a loss of privileges.

If you think your teen might have a drinking problem, contact  doctor or a counselor or other health care provider who specializes in alcohol problems. Teens who have alcohol problems aren't likely to realize it — or seek help — on their own.

Other ways to prevent underage drinking

In addition to talking to your teen, consider other strategies to prevent underage drinking:

Develop a strong relationship with your teen. Your support will help your teen build the self-esteem he or she needs to stand up to peer pressure — and live up to your expectations.

Know your teen's activities. Pay attention to your teen's plans and whereabouts. Encourage participation in supervised after-school and weekend activities.

Establish rules and consequences. Rules might include no underage drinking, leaving parties where alcohol is served and not riding in a car with a driver who's been drinking.

Set an example. If you drink, do so only in moderation and explain to your teen why it's OK for adults to drink responsibly. Describe the rules you follow, such as not drinking and driving. Don't serve alcohol to anyone who's underage.

Encourage healthy friendships. If your teen's friends drink, your teen is more likely to drink, too. Get to know your teen's friends and their parents.

Today, alcohol is widely available and aggressively promoted throughout society. And alcohol use continues to be regarded, by many people, as a normal part of growing up. Yet underage drinking is dangerous, not only for the drinker but also for society, as evident by the number of alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides, and other injuries.

People who begin drinking early in life run the risk of developing serious alcohol problems, including alcoholism, later in life. They also are at greater risk for a variety of adverse consequences, including risky sexual activity and poor performance in school.