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.