According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2006 to 2008 27.6 percent of persons aged 12 to 20 drank alcohol in the past month.
About half of junior high and senior high school students drink alcohol on a monthly basis.
14% of teens have been intoxicated at least once in the past year.
Teens who have their first drink before they are fifteen are four times more likely to go on to develop alcoholism than those who put off drinking until they are 21 or older
Underage drinking is a serious problem, with roots deep in our culture. But what is it exactly that causes teen alcoholism, what can we actively do about alcoholism and teenagers and can we do anything to prevent our children turning to alcohol?
Alcoholism is a complex disease and there is no single causal factor, however, it is possible to see patterns in those teens who ultimately go on the develop alcoholism. The list below outlines the most common factors seen in teen alcoholism:
Family: low parental supervision and communication, family conflicts, inconsistent or severe parental
discipline, and a family history of alcohol or drug abuse.
Individual: problems managing impulses, emotional instability, thrill-seeking behaviors, and perceiving the risk of using alcohol to be low.
Social: There is peer pressure to drink, to be a part of the crowd, assuming “it won't happen to me.”
Drinking alcohol, and in particular binge drinking, has major impacts on a young person's life. They do not need to be a teen alcoholic to suffer from the negative effects of alcohol.
Alcohol can harm the growing brain, especially when teens drink a lot. Today we know that the brain continues to develop from birth through the teen years into the mid-20s.
Alcohol decreases teens' ability to pay attention.
Teens that drink alcohol are more likely to have problems with school work and discipline problems.
Teens that use alcohol are more likely to become sexually active at earlier ages, to have sexual intercourse more often, and to have unprotected sex more than teens who do not drink.
The three leading causes of death for 15- to 24-year-olds are car crashes, homicides and suicides -- alcohol is a leading factor in all three.
Alcohol affects how well a teenage judges risk and makes sound decisions. For example, after drinking, a teen may see nothing wrong with driving a car.
Increases the risk of carrying out, or being a victim of, a physical or sexual assault.
Teen Alcoholism Treatment
Did you know most alcoholism medication used today for alcoholism treatment has not been approved to treat alcoholism in people less than 18 years of age? This fact illustrates that alcoholism in teens needs to be treated differently to that of adults.
However, as with adults, there is more than one approach to treating alcoholism among teens, such as:
Recognizing drinking behavior and attempting to change this behavior so a teen doesn't feel the need to escape into alcohol.
Individualized alcohol counseling specifically to identify triggers for drinking, behavioral issues and environmental factors to try and help a teenager reduce or stop the use of alcohol altogether.
Motivational enhancement therapy that encourages a teen teenagers to increase their openness to therapy. Many teenagers are unwilling, or downright hostile to the idea of therapy. Motivating them to trust therapy is half the battle.
Our FREE E-bookThe Parents Guide to Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Prevention is aimed at those parents who wish to stay abreast of their children's alcohol and drug use. The guide shows you how to spot the signs of substance abuse and what to do if you suspect your child is abusing alcohol and/or drugs. Catching teen drug and alcohol abuse early, can save a lot of heartache later. Your teenager may not thank you now, but a few years down the road they'll be truly grateful you intervened and saved them from a young life of addiction.
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Deborah Morrow, M.S. Addiction Psychology, is the director of treatment programs for The Alcoholism Guide website. In her practice Deborah provides on-line coaching and support for those dependent on alcohol or who require other services such as relapse prevention or court mandated services. (Read More)