The Physical and Social Effects of Early Alcohol Use in Teens
Alcohol Facts
Alcohol, because of its availability and accessibility in the market, is said to be the most used and abused drug among teenagers in America. In fact, government counts more than 11,000 youth, aged 12-20, who try alcohol for the first time, compared to 6,000 who try marijuana, almost 3,000 who try cocaine, and 400 who try heroin (as cited in The Marin Institute, n.d.).
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism or NIAAA (2006) held that teenagers face dramatic transitions into puberty and they come across various physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes. Along with these changes, they start to take risks, experiment, and feel pressured. Then they discover alcohol. College is believed to be the site for binge or excessive drinking. However, research reveals that heavy drinking is prevalent among teens whether they go to school or not (Harvard Health, 2008). Alcohol is readily available to them in parties and they can easily buy them by themselves as well. Moreover, teenage drinking was only associated with male teens in the past. However, recently, teenage girls are catching up as evidenced by the findings of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health that reveal a slim 1.6 percent difference between male and female alcohol use (as cited in Harvard Health, 2008). These facts are alarming because alcohol has been a leading cause of deaths among young people today (as cited in The Marin Institute, n.d.).
Physical Effects
Compared to adults, teenagers are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol because of their lower levels of physical tolerance. Because of their developing body and brain and smaller physique, they are also likely to experience the negative effects of alcohol more greatly. Moreover, the earlier they use alcohol, the greater are the dangers in their present and future lives (Department of Health and Ageing, 2006).
Among the numerous risks of alcohol in teenagers are the short-term effects to their bodies. These effects may vary depending on their weight, age, sex, and the amount of alcohol they take in. Because alcohol is a depressant, it slows down their central nervous system, which results to altered movements, emotions, perceptions, vision, and hearing (Teens Health, 2010). Moderate consumption causes dizziness and loquaciousness while larger intake results to garbled speech, difficulty in sleep, nausea, and vomiting. However, even with small intakes, alcohol can impair ones judgment and coordination (Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 2010). Motor skills are further weakened that is why driving after drinking is prohibited.
When teens drink more, the effect to their brain may be greater that can result to intoxication. Signs of intoxication include confusion and disorientation. One can also be very friendly and talkative, while others may be too angry or aggressive, depending on the person. An intoxicated teen may also think that he or she is moving, acting, and behaving properly when in fact, he or she is not (Teens Health, 2010). Intoxication may also lead to alcohol poisoning. This is characterized by unconsciousness or semi-consciousness, slow respiration, cold or pale skin (Harvard Health, 2008), extreme sleepiness, low blood sugar, seizures, and sometimes even death (Teens Health, 2010).
Teenage drinking further results to more physical dangers such as injuries and death caused by car crashes, falling, drowning, suicide, and homicide (Yamamoto, 1999). In a study conducted by McIntosh et al. (2008), he enumerated physical risks and dangers to personal safety attached with excessive drinking. Some of these are instances of being taken home by friends, being taken to the hospital, falling into a canal, being hit by a car, and waking up beside a stranger. McIntosh further revealed that teens make an effort to conceal their drinking activities by choosing unpopular, secluded, or isolated areas. While these are great locations for them not to get caught, these also increase the dangers especially if something wrong might happen (McIntosh et al., 2008). Additionally, because of black-out or impaired motor skills, alcohol increases the chances of teens being involved in violence or being violent themselves and engaging in unprotected sex or inability to handle unwanted sexual favors (Department of Health and Ageing, 2006). Moreover, large intakes of alcohol result to hangovers the following day. This is linked to headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and thirst (Partnership for a Drug Free America, 2010).
Meanwhile, there are also long term physical effects of early alcohol use in teenagers. Since teens possess low sensitivity to the sedative and motor effects of alcohol, they drink longer until they fall asleep or fall over. This increases their exposure to alcohol, which in turn raises the chances of having cognitive impairments and even brain damage (as cited in Australian Drug Foundation, 2003). NIAAA (2006) further claimed that even if alcohols effect to teens brain may be difficult to identify, studies have revealed that since their brains are still maturing, the significant effect on thinking and memory skills are apparent. Additionally, the effect to the liver is also undeniable, as teenagers who admit to alcohol drinking were found to have liver damage. Finally, one of the most significant effects of early use of alcohol in teens is upset in critical hormonal balance needed for the normal development of bones, muscles, and organs. Since teens are undergoing the puberty stage, they experience hormonal changes such as increase in sex hormones. Drinking alcohol only disrupts this development that affects the normal growth and development of their bodies and systems (NIAAA, 2006). A study by Harvard Health (2008) further revealed that girls in particular may show signs of delay in puberty and even endocrine disorders. In addition, they are more likely to engage in unprotected sex, which only increases the chance of being pregnant and acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. Nevertheless, both teenage boys and girls are not vulnerable to the various short- and long-term physical and health effects of early alcohol use.
Social Effects
Alcohol drinking not only affects teens physically but socially as well. Alcohol drinking causes problems in teens relationship with his or her family, friends, the society, and also affects personality, decisions, academic performance, and abidance to the law.
According to Newbury-Birch et al. (2009), families can affect the drinking habit of teens. Teenagers who are exposed to an environment of drinkers may undeniably be influenced to use alcohol early in their lives. Nevertheless, while family may be a root cause of early alcohol use, its effect to this basic unit of society is undisputed. Asmus (2010) claimed that teenage drinkers frequently distance themselves from their families, which not only builds a gap between parents and children but also set bad examples to their siblings. In turn, family members take this negativity with them, which may then affect their work, school, and other activities. Furthermore, there is only much that parents can do because of the strain created. Hence, instead of discussing with their teens, they choose to involve themselves in other personal tasks and activities.
While teenagers may build relationships and increase their sociability and acceptance by peers by drinking alcohol, researches have shown that college students have also lost their friends because of alcohol use. In fact, 3.2 percent boys and 0.7 percent girls confessed to losing their friends because of their alcohol drinking habit (as cited in Newbury-Birch et al., 2009). This may be attributed to peer pressure. While some teens succumb to the pressures of friends and peers, others stay away from alcohols way. Thus, a non-drinking teen would choose to bond with other non-drinkers than befriend alcohol drinkers.
Furthermore, not only are motor skills impaired because of teens early use of alcohol but also his or her sense of responsibility. One of the most visible impairment is in teens performance in school. Once they start drinking, they tend to skip or miss classes, fail to submit or complete assignments and requirements, neglect academic responsibilities, and lose whatever educational funds they may have (Teen Drug Abuse, n.d.). Additionally, both male and female drinkers were found to be getting behind their studies compared to their non-drinking peers. With increased alcohol use, the likelihood of absenteeism and poor grades thus becomes greater (as cited in Newbury-Birch et al., 2009). Because of these facts, the once energetic and hopeful image that colleges and schools portrayed to society has been blemished by teenagers who display irresponsibility through teenage drinking (Teen Drug Abuse, n.d). Therefore, these only mirror what kind of adults the society will have in the future as these teens may likely to take their habit of alcohol drinking later in their lives.
Moreover, when teens start to drink alcohol at an early age, the likelihood of trying out other drugs is probable. Studies have especially linked alcohol or binge drinking to cannabis and cocaine use (as cited in Newbury-Birch et al., 2009). Other studies have likewise connected teens early alcohol use to high-risk sexual behavior and activity. In fact, because of alcohol and intoxication, teens are more likely to engage in unprotected sex even if their relationships are not too strong, in unplanned sex, in frequent unwanted sexual activity, and in risky sex such as having multiple or casual partners (as cited in Newbury-Birch et al., 2009). In fact, twenty-nine percent of 15-17-year olds while 37 percent of 18-24-year olds admitted to being influenced by alcohol to do something sexual. Additionally, alcohol use also increases the possibility of sexual dangers among teens as evidenced by over 70,000 students aged 18-24 who reported alcohol-related sexual assaults or date rape (as cited in Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2008). These facts and figures only increase societys problem on teenage or unwanted pregnancy, abortion, and sexually-transmitted diseases. Though these effects may establish weak connections with teens alcohol use, the fact that alcohol drinking increases ones risk-taking behavior remains strong and apparent.
The rise of violence and criminal activity in society is likewise another social effect of early teenage drinking. Teenagers who drink alcohol can both be the perpetrator and the victim in such incidents. This may be attributed to psychological andor physiological effects of alcohol that enable one to elicit aggressive behavior (as cited in Newbury-Birch et al., 2009). Alcohol has in fact been blamed for homicides and suicides among people under the age of 21 in 2000, homicide cases reached 1,500 while suicide totaled 300. Moreover, alcohol also has been connected to rapes, robberies, other assaults and violent crimes. An overwhelming 95 percent of all violent crimes and 90 percent of rapes in college campuses also involved the use of alcohol by the assailant, the victim, or both (as cited in Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2008). In addition to this, alcohol has also been related to weapon carrying and fighting (as cited in Newbury-Birch et al., 2009). However, the most notable social risk of teenage drinking is death caused by driving under the influence. Though there is a significant decrease in motor vehicle accidents caused by drinking and driving over the past decades, the countless fatal crashes of youth compared to those of adults is still a source of alarm (as cited in Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 2008). As a matter of fact, 16-20-year-old alcohol-involved drivers accounts to twice the rate of deadly car crashes compared to alcohol-involved drivers aged 21 and above (as cited in Asmus, 2010). Hence, drinking and driving only contributes to the problems that law enforcers deal with and makes the streets and highways unsafe for everyone (Asmus, 2010). All these effects to teens safety, well-being, and life only reveal that the problem of early alcohol use should not be tolerated by the family, the school, and the society.
Solutions and Recommendations
Though the problem of teenage drinking may be too huge to handle, there are numerous ways to stop this practice before it even begins. Parents play a crucial and primary role in the early intervention. Since teenagers may not be open with their thoughts and feelings, it is therefore the parents responsibility to initiate an open and honest dialogue by ensuring their teens that they can talk to them about anything without judgment or lecturing (Harvard Health, 2008). Moreover, the family should set clear-cut rules and policies regarding drinking, enforce these, and monitor their teens behavior (as cited in NIAAA, 2006). Teens should also be encouraged to participate in creating rules on drinking since this will make them more responsible for their actions (Department of Health and Ageing, 2006). Moreover, apart from family-based intervention, school-based prevention programs should also be implemented. Since informational and scare tactics that were initially used by schools proved to be ineffective, programs are now geared towards setting norms, addressing social pressures, and teaching resistance skills against early alcohol drinking. Furthermore, alongside these individual-centered interventions, strict laws on the legal age of drinking and zero-tolerance should be enforced strongly. Laws directed to both sellers and buyers as well raising the price of alcohol could also be effective. Most importantly, parents and people around teens should set good examples as to how, where, and why they use alcohol (Australian Drug Foundation, 2003).
Conclusion
The early use of alcohol in teenagers is definitely an alarming problem in society today. Both teenage boys and girls are turning to this habit due to the pressures of puberty and their thrill-seeking nature. The physical effects posed by alcohol drinking further cause deep apprehension. These include short-term effects such as dizziness, talkativeness, distorted speech and movements, intoxication, hangovers, and alcohol poisoning. Other physical dangers are injuries, accidents, and deaths that can either harm them or others. Moreover, long-term effects include health-related concerns such as liver and endocrine disorders, cognitive impairments and brain damage, and underdeveloped organs and muscles. Other than physical effects, teenagers are socially affected by early alcohol use as well. This affects their relationships with their family and friends, their performance in school, their decisions on sexual activity and drug use, their adherence to the law, and their involvement in violence and criminal activity. Despite these negative effects however, interventions from family and school and implementation of stricter laws need to be well in-placed to discourage teens early use of alcohol. Above all, teens should be educated by all people around them on the proper ways, reasons, and purposes as to why booze, brews, hooch, hard stuff, juice, brewskis, or sauce, is used or drank in the first place.
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