Teenage Drinking Problems

It cannot be argued that many of the teenagers in today’s society are facing serious problems. Underage drinking is one of them. Although there is conflicting research as to how many teenagers have tried alcohol, the number is too high. Surveys suggest that between 80-90% of young people have had their first alcoholic drink by the age of 13. Very sobering statistics. Another interesting fact is that students with grade point averages of D or below will use alcohol three times as much as students who earn A’s.

Why do our teenagers drink and what can we do about it?

Although there are many reasons that teenagers drink alcohol, peer pressure is one of the leading causes of teenage drinking problems. Young people have a desperate need be accepted by their peers and many lack the strength of character and self-confidence it takes to say NO. Saying no means that they may not fit in with the group, friends may turn away from them and/or they may look like an outsider.

Raising your kids to be self-confident can be a difficult task. Parents should not only be a role model for the behaviors that you would like to see in your teenagers, but they should also teach their children their views and attitudes on underage alcohol abuse along with providing facts and information about the research that is done on underage drinking. Other topics that should be covered between parents and children are:

• the risks of alcohol abuse and binge drinking on their health
• how to deal with peer pressure in drinking or drug situations
• effective strategies to refuse alcohol in various situations
• and never accept a ride from someone who has been drinking

Although my teenagers never grew up owning their own cell phone, I would always give them mine when they went out. They understood that whatever the circumstances were, if they were uncomfortable in any situation or they were faced with a problem, to phone and I would pick them up – no questions asked. In turn, I also always had a way of reaching them if I was concerned.

In addition, it’s important to always try to keep the lines of communication open and to set reasonable expectations. When a teenager acts responsibly then reward them with your trust by perhaps setting a later curfew. Working towards a driver’s license can also be a motivational goal and a gift of independence. Teenagers need to know that their independence is linked with a parent’s trust and received through acts of responsibility.

I’ll finish with one more statistic:

240,000 to 360,000 of current college students will eventually die of alcohol-related causes.

Prevent your kids from being a statistic.

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