Alcohol Abuse in Teenagers in America

Devin J. Gaylord

Albion High School

 Abstract

This paper is about the abuse of alcohol in the groups of High school and College students of the

United States of America. This paper is based around 5 articles that vary about what they are

about. 2 of the articles are about kids experiences in high school and how alcohol affected them

in negatives way. In the next 2 they based them on college life and how frat life affects them.
 Alcohol abuse is seen in people from all ages in the United States, But it is most

commonly seen in people that are under the legal drinking age. In fact 24.5% of people that

abuse alcohol under the age of 21 become dependent on the substance in their future. Alcohol is

the most dangerous drug used most commonly by high school and college students. This is an

epidemic that needs to be stopped or changed. This paper will be about how alcohol is abused in

the United States by high school and college students and how it can be and should be stopped.

Binge drinking is the pathway to alcohol abuse because kids drink with the intentions of

getting drunk. Many kids drink too much too quick and they don’t even realize how much they

have drank and how that much alcohol will affect them later. Many kids who drink before the

age of 14 become addicted by the age of 16. Even though 80% of eighth graders and just over

50% of 12th graders in school had not drank alcohol within 30 days of the survey they took part

in, the students that had drank way too much. This pattern of drinking is more normal for

younger people compared to older people. The statistics of this shows the normal amount for a

person over 21 to drink is 8 times a month with 3 drinks each time they drink. In comparison for

people under 21 it is 6 drinks each time drinking 6 times a month. So in comparison it is more

typical for kids to binge drink compared to adults. Another statistic to prove that is in any given

2 week period 30 percent of high school seniors binge drink and 12 percent of eighth graders will

binge drink as well.

 Drinking for boys is very different then it is for girls. Boys typically drink to get the

sensation and thrill that comes with the alcohol. Boys do this to have fun but don’t realize the

danger that is associated with this “fun”. Girls typically drink to cope with negative emotions

they have or to relieve anxiety or depression they may have. This is a problem because nearly

1,800 of alcohol deaths not related to accidents are because of suicide or murder that is provoked

by the alcohol in their system. Jessica from Washington first drank with her friend in sixth grade

and she did not like it and had a bad hangover the next day, she said she wouldn’t drink again but

she drank at first a few times a month to a few times a week. Jessica typically had 4 drinks at a

time when she drank and once she started partying with boys she would drink until she blacked

out to try to keep up with them. Many kids drink to fit in and they are testing their limits by

drinking alcohol because they think it is cool and they feel good or invincible.

Many parents don’t understand how easily accessible alcohol is from their kids whether it

be inside of their own house or from one of the kids peers. They also think that marijuana is the

leading gateway drug to harder drugs like cocaine and heroin but according to the National Drug

association is that alcohol is the true gateway drug to all the illegal drugs. Many kids now are

mixing opioids in with the alcohol they are drinking and that also leads to many deaths because

of the way the opioids mix with the alcohol. Opioids are drugs that slow down the respiratory

system which can lead to death right there. But many kids now take opioids with alcohol which

slows down the respiratory system to a dangerous level which leads to many more deaths than

taking just one or the other. 52% percent of kids that take both opioids and alcohol will die

within 1-2 hours of consuming this mixture.

Many people don’t realize the dangers of how alcohol can kill you in other ways than

accident related deaths and suicides or murders. “Alcohol is a respiratory and central nervous
system suppressant” according to Ralph Lopez an adolescent medicine specialist. Your brain

naturally slows down with every drink you drink. At .10 BAC your brain will show inebriation

which is .2 over the legal limit of .08 in nearly all of the 50 US states. At .20 many people will be

impaired and not be able to move or do many of the bodies natural functions. At .30 your

respiratory system is slowed down to the point where you are lucky you are still breathing. If you

make it to the .40 stage you are lucky to be alive because your whole body is basically shut

down. Sebastian from Tennessee had a BAC level of .42 when he was found on the side of the

road. All he remembered was drinking nearly half a gallon of whiskey which is one of the

strongest alcohols you can drink. He was very lucky to be alive because many people who drink

like that die because their body cannot handle that much alcohol. Even if the person drinking

makes it home safely many people who can’t handle their alcohol may end up dying in their

sleep. Whether it is from drowning from their own vomit or all of the alcohol hitting them at one

time and them not being able to breathe anymore because their bodies shut down because of the

alcohol in their bodies. Many younger drinkers and some older ones don’t realize that all drinks

have the same amount of alcohol in them. Whether you are drinking a wine cooler or a shot of

hard alcohol the amount of alcohol entering your body is the same.

Drinking also can be associated with many poor decisions chose by the teen under the

influence of alcohol. Nearly 24% of students that have made sexual contact have had unprotected

sex because they are under the influence of the alcoholic substance. This can cause the

transmission of sexual transmitted diseases between the people having the unprotected sex.

Alcohol is also the leading cause of two-thirds of all of the date rape and sexual assault cases

among teens and college students. This causes many problems for the person accused of raping

the other person. This is because even if a person gives consent it doesn’t count if the person is
under the influence of alcohol. This can cause many problems because it can cause legal

problems especially underage because both kids can be charged with rape and this can cause

their lives to be ruined because they can be considered a sex offender and that follows them

through the rest of their life.

Parents of kids that abuse alcohol should notice the signs before it is too late. Some signs

are the kid isn’t as social with the family or with anyone. If they are very suspicious or sneaky

and not being as open or lying more frequently. If the parent notices alcohol missing that is a key

sign. Also, if the child is having bad mood swings or is acting different than their normal self.

In conclusion, Alcohol abuse in the United States in Teenagers is a very serious issue and

it can be prevented if parents and the teenagers are both on the same page and don’t drink.

Parents can prevent this if they stay on top of their child and if they notice the signs of abuse

before it is too late. Also more education needs to be done to help students understand how

alcohol can affect the body and the dangerous factors that come with it. Both kids and adults

need to realize the costly effects of the actions that can happen when they are under the influence

of alcohol. Most people don’t get that binge drinking is the leading factor into alcohol abuse in

teenagers and many don’t realize until they are hooked on the substance. So with the help of both

parents,Schools,and students we can end the epidemic of alcohol abuse in the teenagers in

America.