According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Youth who start drinking before age 15 years are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse later in life than those who begin drinking at or after 21 years." Teenage alcohol abuse is a major problem, with 26 percent of high school students in 2007 admitting to binge drinking during the past 30 days.
Types
Underage drinking is illegal, but not all teens who drink abuse alcohol. You abuse alcohol if you drink too much too often, whether or not you believe you are physically addicted to alcohol. You are considered a binge drinker if you indulge in five or more drinks on any single occasion within a 30 day period, and classified as a heavy drinker if you drink on five or more days within a 30 day period.
Risky Behavior
Reckless and self-destructive behaviors increase with alcohol abuse. If you are a teen who drinks, you are twice as likely to consider suicide as your non-drinking peers. As for drinking and driving, it is twice as fatal if you are between the ages of 16 and 20 than if you are older than 21. For those who are sexually active, 25 percent admit their last sexual encounter occurred while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Identifying Abuse
Signs you are abusing alcohol include: an inability to complete school work, memory problems, health problems, social problems, and increased sexual activity that is unplanned or unwanted. Poor academic performance or inability to concentrate on school work are also signs of alcohol abuse. If you are a teen who abuses alcohol, you are five times likelier to drop out of school, and twice as likely to say you believe yourself to be a poor student.
Consequences
The National Institute of Health contends that because the teenage brain is still growing and developing, teens who abuse alcohol are especially susceptible to brain damage. "Exposing the brain to alcohol during this period may interrupt key processes of brain development, possibly leading to mild cognitive impairment as well as to further escalation of drinking." In her book, "Alcohol Information for Teens," Joyce Brennfleck Shannon writes, "...patients with a history of chronic alcohol consumption have smaller, lighter, more shrunken brains," than do non-drinkers.
Prevention
Preventing alcohol abuse is complicated, as any number of factors can affect attitudes toward drinking. Relationships with family and friends, susceptibility to peer pressure, academic performance and social maturity, are all contributing factors to teen alcohol abuse. In 2007, the Surgeon General issued a call to action to reduce the overall number of underage drinkers. The goal is to educate teens about alcohol abuse, involve parents and communities in alcohol prevention, and conduct additional research into alcohol abuse.
Treatment
Approximately 150,000 teens seek treatment for alcohol dependence each year.
Treatment varies, ranging from the self-help style of Alcoholics Anonymous, to outpatient therapy, to intense inpatient programs. Therapeutic communities offer the most comprehensive type of treatment. The therapeutic community seeks to identify and treat the underlying attitudes and behaviors that lead to alcohol abuse, while providing a safe, nurturing environment for troubled teens.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Underage Drinking
- Alcohol Information for Teens: Health Tips about Alcohol and Alcoholism; Joyce Brennfleck Shannon; 2005
- U.S Department Health and Human Services: Treatment of Adolescents With Substance Use Disorders
- The Surgeon General: Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; Underage Drinking: A Major Public Health Challenge
