Teen Drinking

Teen Drinking

According to Men's Health, "alcohol kills more teenagers and young people than any of the other drugs taken to affect mood and behavior (heroin, cocaine, marijuana)." This issue interests me due to the many friends I have who drink overwhelmingly. Also, I have so many cousins that are younger than me that I am concerned about with this issue. There are many reasons to why teens may drink, not all of which are reasonable but is the truth, from what I know. Teen drinking can also result in very many mishaps that are mostly a terrible consequence.

Many things can cause teen drinking. One of which could be from lack of parental involvement. If a parent does not involve their time with their teen through schoolwork, friends, work, and/or relationships, that teen may feel the need to turn to alcohol. If that teen feels the need to reach out and talk to someone, and that someone being the parent who is not there for them, they might just want to drink away their problems. Another cause could be due to the lack of community activities and organizations. Such activities could be sports, dance, or just going out and meeting new people. One of the most dramatic causes, I feel, is misplaced emotions and not dealing with them. From what I hear my friends say, they want to drink away their sorrows. Other causes to teen drinking could be peer pressure, wanting to "fit in" with the crowd, or just lack of adult supervision and having the urge to experience. All of these causes have results and consequences.

Teen drinking can have many results. Such results could be fighting, dropping out of school, alcoholism, and car accidents. All of these, no matter how small or large of a result, are huge impacts on people's lives. Physical fighting is never a good thing and it will never resolve anything that simple communication cannot resolve, if there is even a problem. Dropping out of school will only lead to failure in life...no job, no source of income, which further leads to a lack of education and an unhealthy life. Alcoholism is a serious issue that has many risks involved including the consequences from the parents of that teen who drinks excessively. Car accidents, which result from teen drinking, are the most tragic result. The three leading causes of death, according to Focus Adolescent Services, for 15- to 24-year-olds are automobile crashes, homicides