The growth and development of human beings is very complicated. Several changes of the body are expected but not everyone progresses in the same way as some humans may have faster development than others. In teenagers, the development of curiosity and exploration continues to be a big problem to parents. Teenage kids with these traits would like to explore anything that they know little about. These kids nowadays are engaging in multiple sex partners with the same age as them, doing drugs, and drinking alcohol.
Among all these exploration that kids do, they are more prone to be addicted to alcohol because it is easier to acquire than drugs or sex. In the United Stated, half of the junior high and the senior high school students drink alcohol on a monthly basis. This is mostly because many house parties occur everywhere and it is in these parties that the teenagers can socialize. Nearly 8% of these teens say they drink at least five or more alcoholic drinks in a row.
Teen alcoholism is a great problem that the society is facing today. It has been known that the earlier a person can learn drinking, the higher the chances of them being addicted to it. When they get addicted at an early age and they bring it up until they graduate, they may never get to grow out of such addiction and it will get worst every year. Kids who take in alcohol also have poor grades in school because alcohol can decreases a person's attention span. Not only this, but when these kids take in alcohol, they get dehydrated a lot and if they are dehydrated, their brain cell dehydrate as well and it will definitely lead to cell death to some extent. Brain atrophy may also occur thus the cognitive and decision making capacity of these teenagers become impaired. Such impairment may lead to drunk driving, date rapes, bar fights, and eventually leading to drug addiction as well. Alcoholism can also result to a lot of sexual intercourse. They practice unprotected sex and eventually results in sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy. Usually, teen alcoholism is a reflection of the problems that they have at home. Sometimes, excessive alcohol intake is a call for help by these kids as they consider this act as a coping mechanism with all the peer pressure they experience in school.
The only way to solve this problem is to have early treatment and intervention. Kids who are suspected to have poor grades in school and reveal poor interpersonal skills should be talked to therapeutically about their lives in school and at home. If ever a teenage student is known to be alcoholic, he or she should be referred to a physician for medication treatments and some other therapeutic interventions. Confidentiality should be strictly maintained during the process. Kids should not be ashamed about their problems as several people are available in school and these people can help them deal with their problems. A visit to the guidance counselor or the nurse could be done if ever a student shows ineffective coping.
