Alcohol+and+Adolescents+--+1980s+and+today

As a group we had to find out the relationship between alcohol and adolescents now and in the 1980's

Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence are not only adult problems they also affect a significant number of adolescents and young adults between the ages of 12 and 20, even though drinking under the age of 21 is illegal. In Europe it’s legal to drink to at the age of 18 and in the US your only allowed to drink at the age of 21. Everything has started in the 1980’s because that is when drinking among teens became very popular. When teens start to drink they drink mainly because they want to relax, look cooler, look older, and/or see how alcohol tastes. Another reason why they drink is because when they see parents or older people drinking during dinner or any other time. For them it looks as if it is harmless because nothing happens to them and what they think is that if nothing happens to older people then nothing will happen to them. In reality it causes much more damage to teenagers then adults because when you are a teenager your body is still not fully grown and the alcohol affects are much worse. The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years for boys and 13 years for girls. The average age at which Americans begin drinking regularly is 15.9 years old.
 * Introduction**

There are four groups of teenage drinkers. The first group is the non-drinkers group and as you can see by the name the teenagers that fit in this group don’t drink. Another group is called the light drinkers. The teens that fit in this group are the ones who have drank form 1-5 drinks at any occasion. The third group is called the binge drinkers and the teens that fit in that group are the ones that drink 5 or more drinks on 1-4 occasions. The last group is called the heavy drinkers and if you belong to this group then you have serious problems with drinking already. To be in that group you have to drink more than 5 drinks on more than 5 occasions.
 * Types of Teenage Drinkers**[[image:http://whosthegrownup.com/wp-content/uploads/Teenage_Drinking.jpg width="187" height="271" align="right"]]

As I have said before all of the alcohol addiction in between teens began in the 1980’s. During that time period the teenagers started to consume alcohol more frequently then before which has led to worse behavior. They have started to drink more because alcohol became more frequent on parties, at home, and it became easier to get. Alcohol also has become more popular and more addictive because it seemed that if you drink you will really cool in front of your friends.
 * 1980’s**

If you start to drink you must know that you will face consequences and that you will have a lot of problems. If you start to drink frequently there is a big probability that you will die in a younger age then most of your peers because the alcohol will start to pollute your body (the pollution will be heavier on teens because their body is still forming and alcohol will have a bigger impact on the body and its organs). Also if you start to drink as a teen there is a big possibility of you failing school because you won’t pay that much attention to education as well as you will start skipping school. During the time that you are not in school you will start to think about alcohol (how to get it, where to get it, when will you get it, etc.) and probably to partying. Now, if a girl consumes alcohol she can get pregnant very easily because she won’t pay attention to any of her actions. Other consequences that you may have can be problems with law. You can start to commit crimes of which you might not even be aware of. Also you can start to have emotional problems. So, with drinking there come a lot of other responsibilities. How teens get alcohol: Kids get fake ID’s to be able to purchase alcohol.
 * Consequences and Other Problems**[[image:http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/08_02/teenagers_228x447.jpg width="118" height="232" align="right"]]

Due to the fact that some kids bring alcohol to parties even though they are under aged they still drink and due to that many kids end up dying or are killed by another person who is just as drunk as they are. When you get asked to drink at this party and if you don’t know how to say no there are many other several ways. The first and probably one of the hardest ways of saying no is just saying no. Another way could be using your parents in an explanation for example that once before you got caught drinking by your parents (it does not have to be true). If a teenager has already started drinking and he/she wants to get rid of that habit but you can’t get rid of it by yourself there are many different ways. One way is just talking or asking help from your parents, friends, teachers, and other people that you know. One other way is going to an alcohol treatment program or rehab. Sometimes it helps but in other cases the habit can be stronger then the will of changing it.
 * Help**

"While it is of great concern to see how easily teens, especially young girls, get alcohol, it is alarming to know that legal-age adults, even parents, are supplying the alcohol." said J. Edward Hill, M.D., president of the AMA.
 * Quotes about Teens drinking**

"Parents allowing underage children to drink under their supervision are under a dangerous misperception," said Hill.

"Alcohol is everywhere," said Steven Harris, a 14-year-old from San Bruno, California. "Young people see ads everywhere. We see drinking on TV and in the movies, and we see it at parties and at home. And it is probably harder for teens to get into an R-rated movie than to get alcohol. It's a joke."
 * All quotes are from http://alcoholism.about.com/od/drinkers/a/blama050808.htm**
 * Bibliography**

Images http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1095000/images/_1098386_drinking300.jpg http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/43/33/23523343.jpg http://whosthegrownup.com/wp-content/uploads/Teenage_Drinking.jpg http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/08_02/teenagers_228x447.jpg http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/pta0002l.jpg

Information http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/alcohol.html by [|Steven Dowshen]and [|Eugene Shatz] http://www.peele.net/lib/expect.html by Stanton Peele [|http://www.duke.edu/~amwhite/Adolescence/adolescent4.html] by Aaron M. White [|http://alcoholism.about.com/od/drinkers/a/blama050808.htm __] by [|AMA News Release] http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_n126_v32/ai_19619420 by Marvin P. Dawkins http://www.alcoholnews.org/advertising3.html by George Mason University http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NHSDA/TeenAlc/teenalc.pdf by Janet C. Greenblatt

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