About Teenage Girls Who Abuse Alcohol

In the 1960s, only 7 percent of girls reported having their first drink by age 13. The abuse of alcohol by teenage girls has risen considerably since then. Now, 25 percent of girls report drinking between the ages of 10 and 14. An estimated 11 million adolescents report drinking and "nearly half of those drink to excess," according to the American Medical Association. While the increase in alcohol use by teenagers is alarming, these numbers are of particular concern for teenage girls. A study done by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed girls began to catch up to boys with drinking onset and the amount that they drank. The reasons for this are multi-faceted and present challenges to all involved.

Significance

• According to Dr. Kimberley Williams, a clinical neuropsychologist at the NYU Child Study Center, adolescent girls' use is connected to their self-esteem and social standing. Alcohol has an effect that "enhances their feelings of self-confidence, increases social comfort and offers feelings of being sexually alluring." Because there is a social trend of girls having more male friends, being seen as a potential sexual partner has become increasingly attractive to teenage girls. Girls with male friends also desire to be "one of the guys," which increases the likelihood of drinking as well as the amount of alcohol consumed.

Causes

• Another contributing factor to girls drinking at a younger age is early puberty. The average age of puberty in the 1870s for a girl was 17. Now, girls as young as 7 years of age have breast development and menstruation. This increases social expectations among peers and contributes to social pressure from older age groups. Girls might find themselves in social situations that they are not yet able to emotionally handle, though their bodies signal otherwise.

Physical and Social Ramifications

• For boys and girls, drinking at an early age increases susceptibility to addiction. There are consequences to drinking, however, that are specific to the sexes. Women do not metabolize alcohol as well as men. Women weigh less than men and have less water in their bodies, which leaves their internal organs more vulnerable to alcohol's toxicity than men. If these organs are still developing, as they are in a teenage girl, the effect on proper development and growth can be enormous. Girls who drink report higher incidents of depression, anxiety and other psychological problems.
  Lower body weight means girls get drunk faster than their male counterparts, which lowers inhibitions and impairs judgment, leaving girls susceptible to date rape. Seventy percent of women report the involvement of alcohol when sexual assault occurs.

Prevention

• As a parent or guardian of a teenage girl, have conversations about drugs and alcohol early and often. Stay approachable as a parent. If teenagers suspect anger will result from opening up to parents, friends will be their source of information.

Solutions

• If you're a parent, seize all opportunities for discussions about real-life events with you teenage daughter. If a friend or family member is struggling with addiction, discuss it openly and honestly. A supportive, open-minded parent can plant the seeds of self-care that girls need when navigating the difficult waters of adolescence.