Her "Shot" At Life

As teenagers, our hormones confuse our emotions enough already, but with the added effect of alcohol, our lives can become more difficult than need be. The age at which teenagers begin drinking decreases every year and a “national survey found that slightly more than half (53.9%) of young adults between the ages of 12 and 20 had consumed alcohol at least once in their lifetime” (Alcohol Use). Megan Smith admitted that she began drinking when she was “only 13 years old.” Her innocence had been shattered with her first drink.

Being an average teenager, Megan never had problems in school before she was introduced to alcohol, but later on the hideous nature of alcohol would wreak havoc on her socially and intellectually. Eventually, I questioned Megan about what began her downward spiral in life. The comparison between her old life and new life was like night and day. It took her a moment to gather her courage and then she said, “In 8th grade I was pissed at my mom. My friend, Kellie, had come to school drunk the day before. I thought it would be fun. I chugged the equivalent of 17 shots of rum. I was belligerent. I almost made it out of first period, but slapped my teacher. I thought I was a pirate. I fell and hit my head on a desk. I had a blood-alcohol level of .256. I was taken to the hospital from the middle school in an ambulance, and I had to have my stomach pumped.” Due to this incident, Megan was locked up in CPC for 45 days, and was required to complete twenty miles of running in athletics before she was allowed to play for the soccer team again. She was affected socially because many students, as well as parents of those students, formed a negative view towards Megan, thus wanting nothing to do with her.

It is now five years later, and Megan is still dealing with alcohol related problems in her life. Unfortunately, everyday is a struggle because of the consequences alcohol has given her. The last thing she told me was that she wished she had never taken her first shot of alcohol when she was thirteen because her whole life would have taken a more positive and productive course.

Works Cited

Smith, Megan. Personal Interview. 22 September 2010.

“Final Fantasy Night." www.scrollbar.dk/.../photos/scrollbar_shots.jpg. Web. 20 Oct.

      2010. 

“Alcohol Use Among Teens and Young Adults.” Alcohol Use & Abuse (2008) (2008): 29-31. Health Source-Consumer Edition. EBSCO. Web. 21 September 2010.

The Effects of Teen Alcoholism

Alcoholism can cause countless problems in teen lives. Some problems have internal effects, while others are more external. There is overlap between the two, of course.

Internally, alcohol has a much more significant effect on teens than it does on adults. Teenage brains and bodies are still growing, which leaves them more vulnerable. For example, the prefrontal cortex, which controls rational thinking and judgment, is not yet developed in teenagers, and so is very easily inhibited by drinking. Drunk teens are still capable of reasoning, but they are far less likely to make well-thought-out decisions than if they were sober or older. Alcohol also affects motor functions, reaction time, and awareness, which can cause drunk driving accidents and other injuries.

In a more external and social sense, alcoholism can lead to many life-altering incidents, most of which do not just affect the alcoholic. These are most common when alcohol is combined with sexual activity. Teenagers often make poor choices regarding sex even while sober, so inebriated and hormonal teens are just a recipe for a whole batch of STDs and babies. These are not issues that just go away, and neither is the violence that alcoholism can cause. Most domestic abuse is related to alcoholic behavior, and that lifestyle can start at an early age.

Picture source:
"Alcohol and Your Brain: What to Know." Too Smart To Start. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. .

The Partnership Knows What's Up

A hot spot on the web where helpful information can be found regarding the problem of teenage alcoholism is The Partnership at DrugFree.org. The Partnership is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping parents all over the globe learn how to Prevent, Intervene, Treat, and ultimately Resolve alcohol issues in teenage loved ones.

Among the cornucopia of various helpful resources on the website, there are research and results from various scientific studies that have been conducted on the issue of alcoholism, information about community awareness programs used to educate parents on the real threat of the issue as well as ways to deal with it, and action plans designed to help parents intervene and treat the problem of alcohol abuse with their teens. The organization summarizes their efforts saying, "By bringing together renowned scientists, parent experts and communications professionals, we not only translate current research on teen behavior, addiction and treatment into easy to understand, actionable resources at drugfree.org, but we offer hope and help to the parents of the 11 million teens and young adults who need help with drugs and alcohol" (About Us).

In addition to the online web resources, The Partnership has partnered with various sponsors and supporters such as A&E, Yahoo, Comcast, and even Hershey's. With this backup of supporters, the Partnership is able to train over 1500 professionals all over the country so that they may work daily in their communities with local leaders in schools and neighborhood organizations to better educate both teens and the parents of teens on the issue.

The Partnership has always been ahead of its time and the groundbreakers in effectively using new technology and different strategies to reach the waiting ears of teens in need. Starting in 1986, the Partnership at DrugFree.org, then called The Partnership for a Drug Free America, became the first nonprofit organization to use advertisement as a way of impressing the dangers of drugs onto teens. Fourteen short years later, Jim Burke, the chairman of The Partnership, was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bill Clinton for his efforts in teenage drug and alcohol abuse awareness. Continuing on and paving the way as a renowned non profit organization, The Partnership revised its original name in 2010 to its current stature and now it has become a national nonprofit group whose online resources provide both the answers and support to parents dealing with a teen with an alcohol abuse addiction. In the terms of today's teens, The Partnership at DrugFree.org knows what's up.

Works Cited:

"About Us | The Partnership at Drugfree.org." The Partnership at Drugfree.org | Support and Resources for Parents Dealing with Teen Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.

"Brief History | The Partnership at Drugfree.org." The Partnership at Drugfree.org | Support and Resources for Parents Dealing with Teen Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.

Ben's Story

Ben was raised in an average American household. Both his parents are strong Christians and raised him with all the cornerstones of Christian beliefs. But regardless of his parent's efforts, Ben began to drink and experiment with drugs during his early teen years. Drugs and alcohol quickly became his source of worth in life and from there, it wasn't long before he became addicted to alcohol. His hobby of social drinking had become a habitual nightmare and now Ben was getting high and drunk on a daily basis. By the time he was sixteen, he had already dropped out of school and was living alone on the streets.

A couple of years later, Ben's mom reached out to him and invited him over for breakfast on Christmas morning. Although she hoped for the best and for a quick reconciliation with Ben, things went differently than she had planned. In a fit of rage Ben began to shout and curse and push his mother farther away. She finally had to call the police on Ben for the second time in his life. After the forced police removal of Ben from his parent's home, Ben returned straight back to drinking. Once Ben hit rock bottom, he found grace. Ben was able to turn his life around with the help of one of the volunteers at Christian Intervention. He is now recovering from his addiction and reconnecting with his family.

Ben's story has become one of hope and inspiration for many going through similar battles, but what if he hadn't been so lucky? Studies show that American youth who drink before the of age 15 are four times more likely to become alcoholics than young people who do not drink before the age of 21 and that every year in the U.S. more than 150,000 college students develop health problems that are alcohol-related (Alcoholics Info). These statistics could very easily have become Ben's story and still are the story for many teens across the nation. Teenage alcoholism is a serious problem in the U.S. that has devastating life-altering effects to those impacted by it.



Works Cited:

Alcoholics Information | Alcoholics | Alcoholic Behavior | Alcoholics Help. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.

Ben. "Christian Teens Testimony About Drugs and Alcohol - Ben's Intervention." Christianity - About Christianity and Living the Christian Life. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.

Once you're an alcoholic, you are always an alcoholic!

An alcoholic is always classified as an alcoholic, but there are solutions to an acoholics disease.The proper control of alcohol stems from having the proper knowledge about the addiction to the substance. Families that retain more knowledge about the signs and behaviors of an addict will endure an easier road to recovery. The knowledge of an addiction can help the family unit build a treatment program to help the addict and themselves towards recovery. Families with an alcoholic addiction present should make an effort to retain information about addictions to prevent future addictions in the family unit. Education of the addiction can help a family address the issues surrounding an addiction, medically and psychologically, before the addiction spirals out of control. A place such as an A.A. meeting, also known as alcoholics anonymous meeting, can help families and individuals really understand addiction through testimonies of others like themselves. In these meetings, addicts are more susceptible to admitting their addiction to people whom they feel understand them better. Families cannot force addicts to get help. Addicts must willingly admit their addiction in order to correctly recover. At A.A. meetings they encourage others to share their personal stories about their addiction in order to be able to deal with the addiction and potentially control it in a safe environment. (“What is Al-Anon?”)




Works Cited:
"AA Medallions-AA Coins-AA Chips." Recovery-World. Web. 20 October 2010.

“What is Al-Anon?”.Al-Anon/Alteen. Web. 16 October 2010.

What are the Symtoms and Causes of a Teen Alcoholic?

Teenagers posses qualities that come with being a teenager such as being moody and rebellious, but when these attributes of a teen are at the extremities of there being, it can cause a parent to ponder what is wrong with their child. When parents believe that their teenagers may be addicted to alcohol, having the proper knowledge of what symptoms to look out for is crucial. Commonly seen symptoms related to teen alcohol abuse are lying, breaking curfew, staying in their room, mood swings, stealing, and being verbally an physically abusive to others. ("What are the symptoms..."?) Identifying these symptoms in one's teen can help reveal a teens addiction to alcohol that could have been looked over it was not properly acknowledged. There are numerous reasons why a teen will begin to drink though some reasons are far more common then others. In one's teenage years one begins to associate with different people in order to feel a sense of belonging, but the need for a teen to feel like they belong can cause them to try new things such as experimenting with alcohol. ("The Health Effects of Teen...") At this stage in a teens life their maturity level is so minute that the experimentation with alcohol can be confusing and difficult for a teen to deal with, which is one reason why it is illegal for teens to drink. ("The Health Effects of Teen...") Other possible causes for a teen to drink are the environment and family life of a teen. A teen that lives in a home with substance abuse problems is more likely to become an addict then someone whom has not grown up in that kind of environment. Teenage alcohol abuse can stem from a variety of things, but the way the addiction is dealt with is most important to the teens recovery.



Works Cited:

"The Health Effects of Teen Alcohol Use."Teen Drug Abuse.web.
10 October 2010.

"What are the Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse in Teens?".Medicine Net.web.10 October 2010.

How Teens Become Alcoholics

One might wonder how teens even manage to become alcoholics. After all, they can not legally purchase alcohol, and they are not supposed to be allowed to acquire it by any other means. Unfortunately, adults don't exactly keep a watchful eye on teenagers all the time, and some parents simply do not care enough to prevent their children from drinking. Alcohol is kept in most households, often in an easily accessible location such as a kitchen cabinet, the bar in the game room, or a refrigerator. If a teen decides to drink while his parents are away, there is very little that physically prevents him from doing so.

Teens can acquire alcohol outside the home as well. Fake drivers' licenses enable teens to purchase alcohol for themselves at a liquor store, gas station or grocery store. If a potential drinker is not bold enough to go to the lengths of getting an ID, he might ask an older friend to buy it for him.

Very few teens drink alone at home, though, and those that do are likely to be severe alcoholics already. The majority of teenage drinking takes place socially, whether at parties or with smaller groups of friends. Of course, one night of drinking does not make someone an alcoholic. No, alcoholism develops over time, as teens drink more and more often and heavily.

Teen Alcoholism

Teenagers and alcohol do not mix well; not to mention the fact that the combination of the two is illegal. The rate at which teens are drinking is continually increasing with every year. In addition, alcoholism among teens is beginning to produce major problems within their young lives such as dependency, violence, and poor grades in school. “Alcoholism is a chronic, often progressive disease in which a person craves alcohol and drinks despite repeated alcohol related problems like losing a job or a relationship” (“Alcoholism”). Teenagers are old enough to know that their consumption of alcohol is legally wrong, however “7.2 million adolescents drank at least once in the past year” (“Teen Alcohol Use, Underage Drinking, and Teen Alcoholism”). “In the 1980s, the U.S. government set the legal drinking age at 21”, and this age was chosen for a reason: protection. (“Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered To 18”). However, many people under the age of twenty one are habitually drinking alcohol. Furthermore, teen alcoholism does not discriminate against gender or ethnicity either. It is commonly perceived that boys tend to drink more than girls; however, “girls were as likely as boys their age to drink alcohol” (“Teen Alcohol Use, Underage Drinking, and Teen Alcoholism”). As mentioned before, ethnicity does not have an effect either because “Hispanic youth were as likely as white non-Hispanic youth to be current drinkers” (“Teen Alcohol Use, Underage Drinking, and Teen Alcoholism”). Teenagers may have a preference on the type of alcohol they consume, but alcohol has no preference on who it will negatively effect. 

Works Cited

"Alcoholism." University of Maryland Medical Center. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.

Teen Alcohol Use, Underage Drinking, and Teen Alcoholism." Family First Aid: Help For Troubled Teens. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. 

"Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered to 18." Wise To Social Issues. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.