Alcoholism is a chronic disease in which someone becomes dependent on alcohol. Alcoholics often lose track of time and do not remember when they had their last drink. Teens that begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop a dependency on alcohol than those who begin drinking at 21 years of age, according to the website Alcoholism Information. The causes of teen alcoholism depend on genetics and life experiences.
Genetics and Family History
Teenagers who come from families in which one family member is an alcoholic are more likely to become alcoholics, according to the website Teen Suicide Prevention. It has been suggested that a person is born with the gene for alcoholism and that it is triggered by environmental stressors such as having problems at home, doing poorly in school or struggling to make friends. In addition, a teenager may think that it is normal to drink excessively because his alcoholic parent regularly abuses alcohol.
Abuse
Teen Suicide Prevention states that a teenager who experiences frequent sexual, physical, mental or emotional abuse at home is more likely to form an alcohol dependency than a teenager who comes from a stable, loving and non-abusive home. Abused teenagers may use alcohol as a way to dull or block out their pain and forget reality for a short time.
Peer Pressure
During adolescence, teenagers usually feel increased pressure to be accepted by their peers and to make friends, according to the website Teen Drug Abuse. A teenager may feel that she is not accepted because there is something wrong with her personality. She may associate alcohol dependency with "loosening up" and fitting in with her peers. In addition, a teenager may become an alcoholic because her friends are alcoholics. If a teenager spends a lot of time with other teens who abuse alcohol, then it is likely that she will also abuse alcohol as a way to fit in.
Depression
Teens who are depressed are more likely to become alcoholics than teens who are not depressed. Alcohol acts as a depressant that affects the central nervous system and increases depression in some teens, according to Depression-Guide.com. A teenager may convince herself that the alcohol will take away her sadness and make her feel better, but after the alcohol wears off she may feel worse than she did before she began drinking.
Lack of Parental Support
During adolescence, a lack of parental support, guidance or communication can cause a teenager to become dependent on alcohol, according to Focus Adolescent Services located in Salisbury, Maryland. Teenagers who regularly experience harsh discipline, criticism, hostility or rejection from their parents tend to feel abandoned, causing them to turn to alcohol as a way to dull the pain.
