According to the Partnership For a Drug-Free America (PDFA) report released in August 2008, drinking among teenagers has dropped significantly. In 1998, 42 percent of teenagers reported they had consumed alcohol during the past month compared to 31 percent in 2007.
Yet, alcohol still causes substantial problems among teenagers. MayoClinic.com states that alcohol-related motor accidents are a leading cause of death among teenagers. Moreover, teenagers who drink have more problems at school and they engage in risky sexual behaviors more often than teenagers who do not drink.
Genetics and Family History
Alcoholism runs in families. According to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Family Alcoholism Study, approximately 25 percent of siblings and children of alcoholics will become alcoholics themselves. Thus, genetics are likely to put a teen at a greater risk for becoming alcoholic. Having an alcoholic parent alone does not cause a teen to become a drinker. Also, environmental factors are needed to trigger the drinking.
Coping with School Stress
According to the Partnership Attitude Tracking Study of the PDFA, over 70 percent of seventh to 12th graders reported they were drinking due to school-related stress and pressure. Drinking seems to be more common when the school work becomes more challenging or when the teenager is moving from one school level to another. The same study reported that only 7 percent of parents thought their teenager drank due to school-related stress.
Self-Esteem and Behavioral Problems
According to the MayoClinic.com, teenagers are at an elevated risk for alcohol consumption because they tend to feel more self-conscious than adults and are more eager to try to please their peers. Risk-taking behavior is also common among teenagers.
The PDFA study also reported that among the leading reasons for teen drinking included beliefs that alcohol made adolescents feel better about themselves or thought drinking made them look "cool." According to MayoClinic.com, teenagers who are drinking alcohol often suffer from different behavioral problems such as emotional instability and issues managing impulses.
Family Conflicts
According to MayoClinic.com, other risk factors that increase drinking among teenagers include family conflicts, poor communication between the child and the parents and low parental supervision. The teenagers who drink alcohol also reported the parental discipline they received often proved severe and inconsistent.
