The Dangers of Teenage Drinking
Introduction
One day, there was a teenager’s party and there were many people
having fun and dancing with drinking alcohol. One boy got drunk because he
drinks a lot of alcohol. After the party finished, he went to drive his car
with two of his friend. They were going home. They were under the influence of
alcohol, and the driver was driving too fast. Suddenly, the driver did not
recognize a big truck front of his car and he crashed by the, then they died.
Most of teenagers are drinking alcohol, but they do not know how dangerous it
is in many cases. Alcohol makes people feel happy and relax, and some teenagers
drink it to feel comfortable or to feel older, but they did not know the danger
of alcohol abuse. Many people died because they were alcoholic or under
the influence of alcohol. Also, alcohol is the main reason of damage to
teenagers’ brains. How does drinking alcohol damage teenagers’ brain? There are
many reasons that kill the brain cell. Alcohol abuse has been related to brain
damage, and teenage drinking, yet there are some solutions and treatment for
this.
Definition
of alcoholism
Alcohol is one of the most popular drinks in the world. The
definition of alcoholism is “a chronic disorder involving physiological and
psychological variables which render certain individuals incapable of
refraining from frequent alcohol ingestion to the point of both continued
intoxication and eventual interpersonal and social dysfunction” (Forrest, 1975,
5). To explain, addiction to alcohol something dangerous which is change the
human personality and health. It is also inability to quit drinking alcohol a
main reason of separation families and societies. "So if alcohol is a
natural product, why do teens need to be concerned about drinking it? When
people drink alcohol, it's absorbed into their bloodstream. From there, it
affects the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), which controls
virtually all body functions. Because experts now know that the human brain is
still developing during our teens, scientists are researching the effects
drinking alcohol can have on the teen brain" (Dowshen, 2009, 1). That is
to say, alcohol is made of natural things, but it causes much damage of
teenagers’ brains. Drinking alcohol affects the human body and causes many
problems to the brain, which controls the body. Teenagers’ brains are still
improving during the teen years.
How
does drinking alcohol damage teenagers’ brain?
The brain is very important thing
in the human body; for that reason, the brain controls the human body.
According to Hanson (2011), the mind and bodies of teenagers are still growing,
and alcohol use can reason taking problems (Hanson, 2011, 1). This means
alcohol could affect teenagers’ brain and retard growing. “Exposing the brain
to alcohol during this period (i.e., before age 21) may interrupt key processes
of brain development” and “alcohol–induced brain damage may persist” (Hanson,
2011, 1). Drinking alcohol during the teen years could be one cause of stop the
brain growing. However, the brain needs to be healthy and active to improve
normally and grow without any disease.
Many teenagers like to try every think they see, and they want to do whatever
they want. Testing with alcohol over the teenagers is conjoint. Some causes
that teenagers use alcohol are: experience, to feel better, to fit in, and to
feel older (Dowshen, 2009, 2). In other words, teenagers drink alcohol to show
they are getting old, or they think that alcohol made their life better. Even
more, when the school vacation is coming and it is a celebration season; many
students graduate and get their certificate. It is time to have fun and have
parties (USA TODAY, 2002, 8). That is to say, teenagers drink alcohol on
account of parties with a lot of people. For example, if there is a birthday
party or a weekend party, and someone has a party and their parents are not at
home, for sure no one will say no. At the same time, they will drink a lot
without any parental attention or no one will take care of them.
Moreover,
“from a very young age, kids see advertising massages showing beautiful people
enjoying life and alcohol. And because many parents and other adults use
alcohol socially” (Dowshen, 2009, 2). To put it another way, very young people
interested with announcement on the television, and some people having fun.
Therefore, teenagers will think about this and try it. Also, it is because of
parents drinking front of their children.
Most teenagers have a lot of problems when they drink alcohol. It not only
affects their body; it is also affects their personal lives. Drinking alcohol
in the teen years has been destroyed many people in many cases. Many teenagers
do not have any support from their families or themselves, and they are going
to lose their jobs because of drinking too much alcohol, or they will have no
money because they spent a lot to buy alcohol (Snyder, 1985, 104). Some people
have lost their jobs because of drinking alcohol; they go to work under the
influence of alcohol. Also, they did not do their jobs on the right way or
correctly, yet they will have problems with their bosses. Also, spending a lot
of money buying alcohol is a problem for teenagers because they do not have any
work to do except studying.
The problems of alcohol could lead to brain damage. As Snyder (1985) wrote,
return drinking can kill mind cells, shift mind frame, and decrease the amount
of blood to the mind (60). On the other hand, drinking alcohol continuously
causes of brain damage, and kills the brains’ cells. Teenagers who are drinking
alcohol will have dangerous diseases on their mind; even it could be fatal
diseases. According to Hanson (2011), shows the people brain do not stop
growing until age 21 or 22, and that alcohol destruction can convertor or
postpone that development, plus remembering and test – taking ability (1). To
clarify, people brains are still growing during the teen years, but alcohol
abuse made the brain delayed in growth. Also, drinking alcohol in the teen
years causes many problems with brains memory. As an illustration, when young
people have a test in school, college, or university, they will not have the
ability to do the test as well as people who do not drink because their brain
is under the influence of alcohol.
Alcohol problems sometimes lead to violent crime. Most violent crime on
campus happens because of drinking alcohol (Hanson, 2011, 1). Moreover, many
students on campus drink alcohol to have fun, but some people drink a lot and
cannot control their selves. For instance, when someone gets drunk, he could do
things as rape, kidnapping, or killing. According to Belles and Budde, et al,
(2011) the more dangerous children of alcoholism is their parents are also
addicted (1091-1094). This means, parents who are drinking alcohol in front of
their children are at risk more than the children whose parents do not drink.
Parents should not drink in front of their children, because if they do it
could be a main reason for teens drinking. Teenagers always try to do as same
as an adults do.
Solutions
and treatment
People should understand how dangerous alcohol is, and to try to find some
solutions to give up drinking alcohol. “In spite of all hype and exaggeration,
the fact remains that alcohol abuse is still a significant problem among youth
that require our attention. Thus, the question remains: what can we do to
reduce alcohol abuse? ” (Hanson, 2011, 4). That means, drinking alcohol is
still a big problem for teenagers and that young people need more attention,
and there are some ways to reduce drinking alcohol. Parents should talk to
their children and tell them about the dangers of alcohol (USA TODAY, 2002, 8).
For example, parents have to teach their children about alcohol abuse and how
dangerous it is, and it could make their lives in danger. For example, if young
people want to drive under the influence of alcohol, they could make an
accident or the police officer may stop the car and they will lose their
license if their blood contains 0.2 grams of alcohol.
According to Dowshen (2009), if you do not want to drink alcohol, but all your
friends are drinking it, it is hard to say “no, thanks”. It is better to say “I
do not drink” or “I have a game tomorrow”. If you say no to alcohol because it
makes you uncomfortable in front of people, you could blame someone for your
refusal. Saying,” my parents are coming to pick me up soon,” “I already got in
major trouble for drinking once, I cannot do it again” or “ my coach would kill
me,” or saying no is more easier for some people. If you plan to go to a party
and you know there is alcohol, make a good plan to avoid drinking (3). At the
same time, if you are in a party with your friends and you do not want to
drink, it is hard sometimes to say they do not want to drink. There is a good
way to say that like he or she do not want to try it or they have something
important to do tomorrow. If you do not drink alcohol because it makes you feel
bad in front of people, you could say an excuse like; alcohol is made many
problems for me a long time ago. Also, if you are going to a party, makes a
plan that you can avoid drinking like watching television.
According to Forrest (1975), “Medical intervention, frequently required during
this development stage, becomes another variable which helps treatment. The
present emphasis upon alcoholism and rehabilitation efforts directed at the
alcoholic patient has opened another avenue of approach to reaching this group
of suffering people” (21). In other words, there are many centers which help
people to treat from drinking alcohol. Treatment has changed many people lives,
and helped them to quit drinking alcohol. Also, taking treatment is one of the
best solutions to give up drinking.
There are many reasons that make teenagers drink alcohol such as having parties
and fun. Most teenagers think that alcohol makes them older and feel more
comfortable when they drink. Also, some parents drink alcohol in front of their
children because of that many teenagers drink alcohol. Otherwise, many students
have parties in the end of the school year and meet each other in someone’s
house and have fun, teenagers feel happier with drinking alcohol but they did
not know the dangers of alcohol or how harmful it is. There are many problems
of alcohol that affect teenagers’ body or lives. Drinking alcohol in teen years
can be very dangerous and harmful of teenagers' brains, because their brains
still growing and improving in these years. Which means, drinking alcohol can
make defect in the brain which is suppresses the growth of the brain. Moreover,
it is a main reason of society problems such as killing someone under the
influence of alcohol, doing something bad for someone you know or you did not
know, or causing a lot of fatal accident.
Even though there are some solutions and treatments for
those teenagers who are drinking alcohol, parents should teach their children
about the dangers of alcohol abuse, and it can be very harmful for their body.
If teenagers want to give up drinking alcohol, they have to make a strong
decision for themselves. For example, if someone is at a party and another
person invites him to drink alcohol, he has to apologize. They can also take an
adults advice from his or her experience and ask them how to quit drinking
alcohol. Going to the hospital is one of the important solutions to give up
drinking alcohol; it is very helpful for someone who wants to stop drinking.
Hospitals will provide many treatments, which are very helpful to quit
drinking, or they will give people a lot of advice and many ways to give up
drinking alcohol.
Conclusion
Alcohol abuse has been related to brain damage, and teenage
drinking, yet there are some solutions and treatment for this. It is important
to think about the dangers of alcohol and how does it affect the teenagers’
brain. The causes of teenage drinking are when they have a party or someone
invites another person to drink. Otherwise, some schools, college, or
universities at the end of the year celebrate the graduation day, and invite
each other to come over someone’s house to drinking and to have fun. Some
teenagers do the same as adults do. To explain, some children watch parents’
behavior such as when they drink, children will think that if they do drink
alcohol, that will make them older like their parents. Moreover, some teenagers
think if they drink alcohol that will make them feel more comfortable
especially when they have some problems in their personal lives. The danger of drinking
alcohol affects teenagers’ brains; many teenagers do not know the danger of
drinking alcohol in their teen years. Drinking alcohol in the teen years is the
main reason for brain defect because teenagers’ brains are still growing and
improving. There are also some effects in the community such as crimes like
killing someone, kidnapping, or making an accident. Yet, there are some
solutions and treatment to avoid drinking alcohol and keep away from the
dangers of alcohol effects. Parents should worry about children’s health and
teach them about the dangers of alcohol. There are also many centers or
hospitals, which have a very good treatment program for, people who drink
alcohol. And yet, people should watch themselves and their families, especially
young people. After all, drinking alcohol is one of the most dangerous things
for young people because the brain in the teen years still devolving and
improving. People have to think about living healthy lives without any health
problems or any dangerous diseases.
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