Teens & Alcohol Addiction

For a normal teenager, life is chaotic and filled with uncertainty. With alcohol abuse added to the mix, some very serious problems can await these teens. Teens are vulnerable because they want to be part of an accepted group. What starts as a desire for peer inclusion can result in teen alcohol addiction. Many potential effects to the child's health and well-being accompany the addicted teen. Thankfully, several resources are available for those who need help.

Causes

• Sometimes peer pressure leads to excessive alcohol consumption for teens.

  Teens succumb to pressure from their peers and often become involved in heavy binge drinking. If the child has parents or siblings who drink heavily, he is more apt to indulge in excessive alcohol consumption as well. Sometimes, alcohol becomes a means of escaping from the hopelessness that some adolescents have to tolerate. Other teenagers have challenges in daily life that they find difficult to handle. Alcohol seems to give these individuals the courage to undertake issues more easily.

Pitfalls

• Teens can develop serious psychiatric problems from habitual over-indulgence in alcohol.

  Teens can develop serious psychiatric problems from habitual over-indulgence, like depression, anxiety or an antisocial personality. Teens exhibiting uncontrollable anger, oftentimes a symptom of alcohol abuse, can turn that anger into criminal actions. In an article on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, children who have their first drink before age 15 are 10 times more likely to engage in fighting after drinking. Similar studies indicate that alcohol abuse among teens has led to serious drug addiction. More than 67 percent of young people who start drinking before age 15 will sample an illegal drug. Other risks include high-risk sex, drinking while intoxicated and suicide.

Health Effects

• Patterns of alcohol addiction before or during puberty alter the delicate hormonal balance.

  Patterns of alcohol addiction before or during puberty alter the hormonal balance necessary for development of organs, muscles and bones. Other long-term effects include liver damage, pancreatitis, certain cancers and shrinkage of the brain.

Prevention

• A strong parent-teen relationship can help in preventing teen alcohol addiction.

  A strong parent-teen relationship can help in preventing teen alcohol addiction. Findings in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs indicate that teens with supportive parents who listen to their children's problems tend to be at a much lower risk for future alcohol abuse.

Genetic Predisposition

• Children who have alcoholic family members are at a greater risk of becoming alcohol abusers themselves.

  According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, children who have alcoholic family members are at a greater risk of becoming alcohol abusers themselves. Children of alcoholics are between four and 10 times more likely to become alcoholics than those who have no alcoholics in the family. Also, they tend to begin drinking at a younger age and progress to problematic drinking more quickly.

Most Vulnerable Ages

• Children as young as 11 are consuming alcohol

  According to an article published by the British Medical Association, the number of 11 to 15-year-old children who regularly indulge in alcohol is rising. In addition, there is an increase in the amount they are drinking in each drinking event. Children as young as 11 are consuming alcohol, and by the time they reach the age of 15, they can become addicted.