causes of teen alcoholism

545 Words3 Pages
They call it a drug free school zone when, in all actuality, school free drug zone may be more accurate. Alcohol abuse is the biggest drug problem facing America’s youth today. Some teenagers may have very deep, complex, emotional reasons to drink while others may just drink because it is an option that seems fun at the time. There is a strong link between teen alcohol use and many emotional and behavioral problems, including fighting, stealing, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, skipping school, feeling depressed, and deliberately trying to hurt or kill themselves. Some of the main causes of teen alcoholism are stress, wanting to belong, and simply that it is an escape. Teenagers today are under an unbelievable amount of stress. Stresses such as school and family are huge problems. School stress could be caused by not being accepted by your peers or getting bad grades. Family stress could come from families being divorced. The constant fighting at home could make it uncomfortable for teens. In order to handle difficult situations, many teens turn to alcohol. Alcohol will then allow them to escape the home or school situation. Another reason teens drink is because of social pressure when they go to parties. Peer pressure causes the teens to drink in order to have a sense of belonging. Most people want to fit in, especially teens, even if they deny it. If not drinking is holding them back from “fitting in” then most likely they are going to have a few drinks to change the situation. Being drunk, to most teens, seems to be a small price to pay for feeling like they belong for a few hours. One of the most dangerous reasons for teen alcoholism, though, is depression or other serious emotional problems. Alcohol is an escape from reality or a way to cope with stress that can be very cruel for some teens. Mental diseases can be hard, if not
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