...Alcohol and Teenagers By Jonte Johnson Professor Kinnaird English 101 06 December 2011 Jonte Johnson Professor Kinnaird English 101, Section 5 06 December 2011 Alcohol and Teenagers Introduction: Alcohol abuse is described in many medical journals and books as a psychiatric diagnosis, “The Character disorder from chronic alcoholism shows itself in intellectual impairment, judgment defects, loss of mental efficiency, with general progressive deterioration in global functioning ability” (Bennett 2), describing the use of alcoholic beverages despite negative consequences. This means that an individual has no self control and does not care for the consequences that will arise if he or she continues to take massive intakes of alcohol without any regard for the safety and well being of his own and his fellow men. Alcohol abuse amongst teenagers is a growing concern for many parents and governments all over the world, “Seventeen million people suffer from alcoholism; 25% of these people are teenagers. The average victim is in his or her forties with a family and a job” (Ludwig 13). The consequences of teenage alcohol abuse has been widely reported and known yet very little has been done to stop alcohol abuse in the United States and other nations where ill-legal liquor houses and unlicensed production of alcohol is wide spread. Why Teenagers turn to alcohol: Teens use alcohol and other drugs for many reasons. They may do it because they want to fit in with friends...
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...Community Health Advocacy Project: Teenage Substance Abuse NUR 544 October 1, 2012 Community Health Advocacy Project: Teenage Substance Abuse The aggregates teenagers/ adolescent and substance abuse the prevalence of alcohol use among teens mixing the effects of alcohol shifts teenagers toward risky and violent behaviors. Alcohol and any substance can cause impaired judgment and slow reaction time which provides more of a detailed explanation on why major factors have teen motor vehicles crashers, homocides, suicides, and drowning’s include some type of substance. Substance abuse among teenagers has been linked to early sexual intercourse, date and acquaintance rapes, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, fights and community property damage (Nissen, L. (2007). To understand the community’s perspective of the health status, the services used or required, and concerns. Data collection is needed directly from the aggregate, which can be more insightful and accurate. The survey tool that is specifically created for the teenage aggregate population contains demographics data to help the researchers to determine if there is a gap in services that are needed. The tool created would be used in focus groups according to Nies and McEwen (2011), “these can be very effective in gathering community views, particularly for remote and vulnerable segments of a community and for those with underdeveloped opinions. Focus groups can produce greater interaction and expression...
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...Underage Drinking Introduction Alcohol is the most preferred choice of drug abuse among the youth. Many young people developed the habit of taking too much alcohol at an early age. Underage drinking has lead to numerous health problems in many countries. Many families have lost their children due to excess drinking. Adolescent stage comes with an increased independence, which is linked to alcohol abuse. This study will cover the effects of underage drinking and how it is a controversial issue in the country’s development. The Controversial Issue Teenagers are constantly willing to try different things. Drinking alcohol is one of the things teenagers try to do. Underage drinking is a widespread in the contemporary world. Most of the teenagers end up abusing alcohol. Some have lost their lives due to alcohol abuse. Each year, more than 5,000 young people below 21 years of age in the U.S. die due to alcohol abuse and alcohol related cases. This is a great loss to the society. The government is compelled to set aside funds for rehabilitation centers. The U.S. law does not allow anyone below the age of 21 to drink alcohol. Dangers of Underage Drinking Underage drinking is the chief cause of death among teenagers. Many deaths among young people are due to excess drinking. Excess drinking leads to accidents, homicides, suicides, drowning and other injuries. Too much drinking can harm the brain growth. The brain continues to enlarge and mature...
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...Teenage Alcohol Abuse Outline Teenage Alcohol Abuse I. Introduction II. Abuse III. Health Risks of Abuse IV. Ways to Prevent Abuse V. Conclusion Chase Wylie Sharma MW 9:25 In some ways, our present laws prohibiting teenage drinking are quite irrational. It is illegal to sell or serve alcoholic beverages to minors, yet we expect young people to take their places suddenly at eighteen or twenty-one in an adult culture where drinking is the norm. Somehow, miraculously, without any practice, they are supposed to know how to drink sensibly and befittingly. Fortunately or unfortunately, all the studies of what teenagers actually do, rather than what they are supposed to, show that teenagers do drink. The percentage of teenage drinkers increases steadily with age, until at eighteen the proportion of drinkers is approximately the same as in the adult population. The percentage of teenage drinkers varies depending on the region of the country. “One study, which showed 86 percent teenage drinkers in Nassau County, New York, and only 44 percent in rural Kansas, was typical of the general trend: teenagers in metropolitan areas are more likely to drink than those in rural regions” (Silverstein and Silverstein 78). Boys, who are traditionally given more freedom than girls, have a higher percentage of drinkers than girls. The difference is especially distinct in rural areas, and it decreases with age. Beer is the most commonly used alcoholic beverage...
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...Substance Abuse in Adolescents Jasmine Bobbitt Liberty University Substance Abuse and Addiction during Adolescence Adolescent drinking is one of the biggest social issues amongst teenagers in the United States today in the twenty-first century. More than three-fourths of college students drink on the regular basis; the issue is that they are not aware of the effects on the brain (Feldman, 2014). Adolescents start to drink for many reasons, mainly for acceptance (Feldman, 2014). Alcohol is in wine, beer, and hard liquors mixed with soft drinks. Being an adolescent is tremendously difficult in the twenty-first century. When adolescent are between the ages of thirteen and nineteen, they face great deal of peer pressure and obstacles (Anthony, 2014). When being a teenager all these problems arise along with the challenges of adulthood. One of the biggest challenges that teenagers face is peer pressure to drink alcohol (PhD, T., 1987). Peer pressure can be a positive influence to help or motivate people to do their best, but it can also be a bad influence when it comes to doing stuff that may be wrong. Peer pressure usually influence adolescents to do something that they would not be able to do. Teenagers often follow other teenagers for a sense of belonging to a certain clique (Feldman, 2014). All adolescents want to be accepted by a particular group or by their peers. Alcohol and adolescent peer pressure does increase with age as teenagers tussle with trying to find a sense of...
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...Addiction in Adolescence When it comes to abuse and addiction in adolescents the relationship between the two goes hand in hand. “Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014, p.1). Addiction can be several things, two well-known addictions are drinking and doing drug. When addiction starts to change the brain it leads to long terms affects which is usually abuse. Adolescents can and will go a little further with abuse by adding things like pill popping and smoking. “Many adolescents who abuse drugs have a history of physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse or other trauma” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014, p.2). Abuse begins when adolescents start to do things like steal and lie to friends and family members to get what it is they want. How does abuse or addiction affect the developing brain of an adolescent? Drug abuse can cause serious progressive problems within the adolescent brain.”Memory loss, ability to concentrate, motor skills and coping skills are all affected by drug and alcohol abuse. Adolescents tend to make decisions that are irrational when under influence of drugs and alcohol, they may think they are making the right decisions but they are actually they are doing more harm to themselves then they realized. For adolescents, this can be even more significant as the brain is still developing and changing and...
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...Most teenagers have probably explored with alcohol use in high school before college. The problem with underage drinking is a problem throughout all high school and colleges around the country. A lot of people don’t understand the consequences or the impact it can have on their lives, as they get older. Most of the time parents are unaware of the risks that their children face when they are involved in underage drinking. According to the National Survey on Drug Use, it is approximated that 24% of the population between the ages of 12 through 20 have engaged in underage drinking. Medical Experts say that alcohol can be used to increase metabolism and also helps with digestion. Despite the fact that it is against the law for college and high school students to consume alcohol, there is a large amount of teenagers experiencing the usage of alcohol. Even though it is said to be favorable, too much consumption has led to negative result and side effects. It is apparent that teenage alcohol abuses are basic problems that need to be taken up in society by our leaders, advisers and as well as the parents. Many people ask this question everyday, “Why do teenagers take prescription drugs?” Well most of the time teens wrongly believe that these drugs are more safe than regular drugs mainly because they are accessible to them from home or from friends. Breaking away from reality and being bored are the main reasons that teenagers abuse drugs. Peer pressure to continue friendships and...
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...Substance abuse The 5th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) combines substance abuse and substance dependence to mean the same thing (American Psychiatric association, 2013). Substance abuse refers to the habitual non-medical substance seeking, and the substance taking behavior which is suppression or resistance through its pharmacological consequences. Substance abuse may therefore include the use of alcohol, abuse of cigarettes, food, sniffing of solvents or even the abuse of nicotine and caffeine (Nordegren, 2002). Substance abuse has been taken to generally refer to the use of hard drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. Every year, United States spends billions of dollars on increased health care cost, low productivity and increase in crimes. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, substance abuse costs United States 524 billion dollars a year of which 181 billion dollars is as a result of illicit drugs. Given the huge expense, there is therefore a need to understand the physical, social and psychological effects that substance abuse presents, analyze the factors contributing to substance abuse, examine the range of interventions used, and examine how managing substance abuse is influenced by cultural, legal, as well as political issues. Though at times substance abuse is completely something that an individual may pick from nowhere, there are some risk factors which may play a significant role in an individual’s substance abuse. These...
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...LIFE ORIENTATION LESSON 1 General information Teacher: B Stemele Topic: Substance abuse Duration: 1 hour School: St Andrews School for Girls Grade: 8 Date: 6 March 2015 2 Specific aim(s) for Life Orientation * Guide learners to achieve their full physical, intellectual, personal, emotional and social potential; * Develop learners’ skills to respond to challenges and play an active and responsible role in the economy and society; * Teach learners to exercise their constitutional rights and responsibilities and to respect the rights of others; * Guide learners to make informed and responsible decisions about their health, environment, subject choices, further studies and careers; and * Provide opportunities for learners to demonstrate an understanding of, and participate in activities that promote movement and physical development. 3 Lesson aims: (Knowledge, skills, values and attitudes) Knowledge | Skills | Values and attitudes | TerminologyWhat is substance abuse, illegal and legal substances? What makes teenagers to start abusing these substances? * General knowledge about drugs * Signs and symptoms of substance abuse * Investigate factors contributing to substance abuse * Health risks for teens (Effects – physical, mental & social) * Effective Treatment Approaches * Where to go for help? | * Research * Analyse * Compare * Summarize * Apply * Decision making | * Responsibility...
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...Why Teenagers Abuse Drugs Introduction Drug abuse is the dependence on chemicals or substances that alter one’s normal body functioning. It can severely alter the functioning thus making the user its slave and can actually do nothing constructive without it. Sadly a huge number of teenagers are indulging into drugs either knowingly or unknowingly. How does that happen, why do they get to use these drugs? The following are major reasons as to why teenager end up abusing drugs Peer pressure in most teenagers is an influential force at any stage of life, but it’s more influential at the period of adolescence. At that moment when children are trying to figure out who they are and where they will fit in, when insecurities can be brutal and the desire to be established and liked makes them saying “NO” to be very difficult. However, saying no can also have painful consequences, varying from being laughed at or mildly teased, humiliated, rejected and even intimidate. Peer pressure frequently come from cool kid who says, “Hey, it’s just weed” or “drink up” and just have fun after all, who’s going to recognize if no one tells? When you give in it start a little by little eventually you become an addict (Aue, Pamela Willwerth, 2006). All adolescents regularly want to be treated and feel like adults. The term “I’m not a kid any longer” is a common mantra, particularly when teenagers want privileges that come along with age i.e. using alcohol (Torr Barbour & Hurley, 2009). It’s...
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...THE CAUSES OF DRUG ABUSE AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT’S 2 The parents of a teenager who talk to his or her teenagers about the use of drugs on a regular basis are 42 percent to not abuse drugs than a teenager whose parents did not talk to him or her. There is a higher amount of male teenagers arrested who have been tested and found positive for marijuana (The National Institute of Justices Arrestee and Drug Monitoring System). With many teenagers, drugs and alcohol are the most commonly abused drugs. Those teenagers do not see what drugs and alcohol can to him or her, or even see the consequences that can result from the abuse. The abuse of drugs can come from a variety of negative problems that the teenager may be going through. Why has there been an increase in drug abuse among high school students in the United States? Teenagers in the United States have one of the highest rates of drug abuse among other countries, and alcohol and tobacco use also still remains high (Higgins, 1988). Peer pressure has been acknowledged as one of the components that affects high school students in the United States. When a teenager is addicted to drugs or medication that he or she is prescribed, he or she may not be able to have control on the amount that he or she uses. Medication that has been prescribed to a teenager may make him or her feel better, but if the medication does not help than he or she may take more of the medication or look toward...
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...Alcohol Alcohol is a dangerous substance that many people find themselves associated with everyday. While some people will not have a problem with drinking alcohol and only do so on occasion, many more people struggle with alcohol abuse and addiction everyday. There are many different definitions of alcohol abuse. It depends on what group you ask because each group will say something different. For example, to many students in high school and college, “heaving drinking that leads to vomiting [or blacking out] is not alcohol abuse but simply having a good time and being one of the gang”(1). However, according to religious people, drinking alcohol is not just alcohol abuse, but also a sin. To several other people who are older and have more experience in life may view an alcohol abuser as a person who starts drinking but cannot seem to stop even after they may have vomited. According to a dictionary, the simple definition of “alcohol addiction” is “… the compulsive need for an intoxicating liquid…” (2). Alcohol addiction does not only affect one area but also instead affect multiple areas of an alcoholic’s life. Gabriel Adams points out that alcoholism can affect a person physically, economically, socially and possibly even have legal consequences. Adam says “alcohol can affect body parts such as the liver and cause heart disease which eventually can lead to death”. Also, for economics, an alcoholic can loose his or her job and struggle with financial issues...
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... Causal Essay Substance abuse has been thought to be a big city problem. However alcohol abuse and illegal drugs such as marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, have made their way into our small rural communities. Rural America has become a refuge for drug makers, dealers and abusers. Substance abuse such as drugs, alcohol, and prescription drugs are a growing problem in rural communities due to stress, peer pressure and chronic pain. Studies have reported that individuals exposed to stress are more likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs or undergo relapse (National Institute on Drug Abuse, n.d.). It is well established that the effects of stress can damage people’s mental and physical health. Not everyone deals with stress in the same way, where as some people have an inability to deal with it effectively. One of the ways that the individual may attempt to manage their stress is by using alcohol or drugs. This type of self-medication can provide temporary relief, but is ultimately self-defeating. It can mean that the individual will have more stress in their life than ever, but they will have even less of an ability to handle it. Using drugs, as a short-term solution to the stress going on in their life is dangerous and can lead to addiction. Stress can be caused by the loss of job, divorce, death of a loved one or many other numerous situations. Stress is a major factor and is one of the leading causes of drug abuse. Teenagers and young adult face peer pressure...
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...was even worse. Underage drinkers were highly frowned upon. Over time, it has become a societal norm that people have grown accustom to. Underage drinking is extremely harmful, a gateway into other destructive things, and is a hard habit to get rid of. In 2009, more than 10.4 million teenagers between the ages of 12 and 20 reported having a few sips of alcohol (“Underage Drinking”). The ages between 12 and 20 are debatably the most influential years of one’s life. This is when a person is supposed to further their education, figure out a plan for their life and act on it. Drinking at this age is completely unnecessary and uncalled for. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), 22% of teenagers binge drink. When most teenagers drink, they aren’t drinking on a daily basis to build their tolerance up. They only drink on weekends for social events. Therefore, because they don’t know their tolerance levels, they drink way more than what they can handle, and this is where the problem arises. This specific act is called binge drinking (“Underage Drinking”). The drinking age is 21, because the government believes that is the appropriate age to be able to handle something such as alcohol and its consequences. Before 21, many young adults aren’t mature...
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...Methods Paper PSY/335 Professor Corey Vigdor June 15, 2015 Methods Paper The average American is addicted to something, drinking, smoking, drug abuse, sex, porn, etc. Our proposal is the effect of underage drinking. To start it off people drink to socialize, celebrate and even relax. Alcohol is a big consumer in the United States and it has a different effect on different people varying throughout history. In high school, the vast majority of the teenagers are always looking to try new things. Among the new things has come alcohol, after all they always want to do something that they can’t or aren’t supposed to do. Taking a deeper look into the effect alcohol has on underage teenagers in high school, it has changed their academic achievement, as well as an increased teen dropout rate. Sampling is an important component to any piece of research because it has a significant impact on the quality of the results. The type of sampling being used is population; this is different in research then compared to how we consider the population under normal circumstances. In sampling, population signifies the units that are being studied. The units can be people, cases, and pieces of data, so for our proposal the unit being studied is the underage teenagers who drink while in high school. During this proposal the uses of descriptive statistics have been used. Descriptive statistics is the term given to the analysis of the data that ultimately helps explain, or summarize the...
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