ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL ABUSE: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE on JSTOR

Identifying
adolescents at greatest risk can help stop problems before they develop. And innovative,
comprehensive approaches to prevention, such as Project Northland, are showing
success in reducing experimentation with alcohol as well as the problems that
accompany alcohol use by young people. Project Northland was tested in 22
school districts in northeastern Minnesota. The intervention included (1) school
curricula, (2) peer leadership, (3) parental involvement programs, and (4) communitywide
task force activities to address larger community norms and alcohol availability.

Expectancies—How people view alcohol and its effects
also influences their drinking behavior, including whether they begin to drink
and how much. An adolescent who expects drinking to be a pleasurable experience
is more likely to drink than one who does not. An important area of alcohol research
is focusing on how expectancy influences drinking patterns from childhood through
adolescence and into young adulthood (11–14). Beliefs about alcohol are
established very early in life, even before the child begins elementary school
(15). Before age 9, children generally view alcohol negatively and see drinking
as bad, with adverse effects.

The dangers of underage drinking

In the interest of preventing this irreversible damage, parents who are facing the struggle of raising a teenage child who abuses alcohol must seek an adolescent drug detox program post haste. Signs and symptoms of teenage alcohol abuse vary based on several factors. These include the amount of consumed alcohol, how often teenagers use alcohol or drugs, whether they use other drugs and substances, and their personal genetics and health.

• Many turn to alcohol to relieve stress, cope with the pressures of school, to deal with major life changes, like a move or divorce, or to self-medicate a mental health issue such as anxiety or depression.
• The average time of escalation from first drink to high-intensity drinking (eight or more drinks in a row for women; 10 or more drinks in a row for men) occurs within two years of first trying alcohol.
• It is vital to inform the teen that all enabling behaviors are going to stop.
• As a result, Daisy is mortally wounded in an automobile accident, and the police shoot Daisy.

During adolescence, the brain undergoes major remodeling, including maturation of the GABA system. Research shows that healthy adolescents aged years have lower levels of GABA in their frontal lobes than young adults aged years. However, the last region of the brain to come online is the frontal lobe, which controls higher-order abilities, such as abstract thought, impulse control, and decision-making.

How to Talk to a Teen about Alcohol

Millions of readers rely on HelpGuide.org for free, evidence-based resources to understand and navigate mental health challenges. You’ve found bottles of alcohol hidden in your child’s room and regularly smelled alcohol on their breath. You’ve noted the steep drop-off in their schoolwork, abrupt changes in their behavior, and the loss of interest in their former hobbies and interests. If your teen goes to a party and chooses to have a drink, it’s a mistake that can be rectified.

And teens who initiated high-intensity drinking at younger ages or who had a faster escalation to high-intensity drinking were at greater risk. For some teenagers, heavy drinking begins well before they accept their high school diploma, according to a new University of Michigan study. Presenting this research to the community through educational outreach may help teens delay onset of that first drink during the crucial period of teen brain development, which in turn may serve to protect their mental health in the long run. For teens, drinking impairs memory and learning, but motor control is significantly less affected.

Risks Of Teenage Drinking

Desperate to fit in and be accepted, kids are much more likely to drink when their friends drink. If your child’s drinking coincides with a sudden change in peer group, it may be that their new friends are encouraging this negative behavior. On top of that, there are also emotional and behavioral consequences to underage drinking. Alcohol use can affect a teen’s mood and personality, trigger depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts, and lead to an increase in risky behavior such as driving while impaired, having unprotected sex, fighting, stealing, or skipping school. However, while abstinence removes risk of harms from personal alcohol consumption, its promotion may also push children into accessing drink outside family environments and contribute to higher risks of harm.

Moreover, signs of alcoholism include tolerance (needing to drink more in order to get intoxicated), disruption of daily functioning as a result of drinking, withdrawal symptoms when drinking decreases, and a preoccupation with drinking. Liver Effects—Elevated
liver enzymes, indicating some degree of liver damage, have been found in some
adolescents who drink alcohol (48). Young drinkers who are overweight or obese
showed elevated liver enzymes even with only moderate levels of drinking (49). Either directly or indirectly, we all feel the effects of the aggressive behavior, property damage, injuries, violence, and deaths that can result from underage drinking. This is not simply a problem for some families—it is a nationwide concern.

A combination of low GABA and binge drinking also sets up teens for greater risk-taking, which can lead them into dangerous and sometimes fatal situations that their still-maturing brains do not always recognize as dangerous. If you’ve discovered your child or teen is drinking alcohol, it’s normal to feel upset, angry, and worried. Underage drinking can have serious implications that may not show up until later in your child’s life. If you think you have a drinking problem, get help as soon as possible.

• Films and TV can make it seem that every “cool”, independent teenager drinks.
• Alcohol abuse can lead to deterioration of the brain and loss of memory, which carries a heavy impact on teenagers.
• As Rose and colleagues (43) show, genetic
  factors appear to have more influence on adolescent drinking behavior in late
  adolescence than in mid-adolescence.
• When parents are facing the dilemma of teenage alcoholism, they must be aware of ways to avoid enabling a drug addict child.

About 12% of teen males and 3% of teen females are chronic heavy drinkers in high school and continue to drink heavily as adults. Signs of teen alcohol abuse also include slipping grades and failure to show up for school, sports, clubs, or other extracurricular activities. This is often the biggest sign that a teen needs treatment for alcoholism.

The younger a person begins drinking, the more likely they are to be affected by alcoholism later in life. The best time to begin talking with your teen about drugs and alcohol is now. Children as young as 9 years old may become curious about drinking and they may even try alcohol. About one-third of high school seniors in the United States have had an alcoholic drink within the past month. https://www.excel-medical.com/5-tips-to-consider-when-choosing-a-sober-living-house/ According to the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 6 million Americans between the ages of 12 and 20 report current alcohol consumption; this represents 16% of this age group for whom alcohol consumption is illegal. If you child sudden insists you don’t enter their room or avoids questions regarding their whereabouts, it’s a sure sign that something is amiss.