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Teenage Alcoholism

By Jennifer Bailey

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Teenage alcoholism is the excessive and progressive use of alcohol in adolescents and young adults between the age of 12 and 20. Though consumption of alcohol by people under 21 is illegal, a significant number of teenagers are facing problems of excessive drinking.

In the early stage of alcoholism, drinking is no longer social but becomes a means of psychological escape from inhibitions, problems, and stress. Stated differently, early in the disease a person starts to depend on the mood altering capabilities of alcohol.

The causes of teenage alcoholism are quite different from that of adult alcoholism. While most adults take up drinking when faced with problems, most teenagers start drinking as a celebration, for excitement or under peer pressure. Other causes may include lack of parental support, harsh inconsistent discipline or rejection in any form by the society or family members.

Parents' drinking behavior may also cause a teenager to start drinking early in life. Peer drinking and pressure have also been associated with teenage drinking. Confusion, anxiety, depression and inability to manage one's emotional state may lead a teenager to excessive drinking. Influence of media, especially advertisements that make alcohol attractive is another cause of teenage alcoholism.

Research has shown that people who start drinking at an early age, for instance at 13 years old or younger, significantly increases the likelihood that they will experience alcohol problems later in life.

According to researchers, teenagers who begin to drink alcohol before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who drink after the age of 21. It has been estimated that about 3 million teenagers in US suffer from alcoholism. The dangers associated with teenage alcoholism are death, health problems, behavior disorders, and legal implications.

Every year in the United States, more than 40,000 babies are born with some degree of alcohol-related impairment. Although many, if not most, women understand that excessive drinking during pregnancy can lead to birth defects, many woman, apparently, are unaware or do not comprehend that moderate or even light drinking can seriously impair or harm the unborn fetus.

Accidents like car crashes, drowning, burns, homicides and often unintentional injuries because of violent behavior have been seen to lead to deaths and suicides. Since the brain of a teenager is still under a developing process, excessive consumption of alcohol can affect not only in its development but also the thinking abilities and memory power. Behavior disorders like violent behavior and impulsiveness are generally seen in teenagers with heavy drinking problems. Since it is illegal to drink under the age of 21, teenagers found with an increased alcohol content in the blood can be penalized or arrested.

The following represents severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms that usually occur within 48 to 96 hours after the last alcoholic drink: high fever, visual hallucinations, seizures, black outs, severe autonomic nervous system over activity, extreme confusion, convulsions, delirium tremens (DTs), agitation, and muscle tremors.

Teenagers with warning signs of alcoholism should be immediately checked and treated as this could lead to serious health problems and can scar their future permanently.

Alcoholism provides detailed information on Alcoholism, Alcoholism Treatments, Signs Of Alcoholism, Effects Of Alcoholism and more. Alcoholism is affiliated with Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Bailey

According to the substance abuse research literature, individuals who start drinking at 19 years old or younger significantly increases the probability that they will suffer alcohol-related difficulties problems in adulthood that will probably negatively affect every aspect of their lives. Part of the reason for this has to do with undeveloped decision-making skills, immaturity, and lacking sufficient life skills to necessary for making good decisions concerning one's drinking behavior. Regrettably, once an individual develops a pattern of abusive drinking behavior, it is often a key factor in the person's everyday thoughts and actions and consequently becomes very hard to change to a great extent. The bottom line, therefore is this: there are certain behaviors and activities in life that an individual should not be involved in until he or she is an adult. And drinking happens to be a classic example of this.

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