Teenager outlines dangers of alcohol
Recently I was privileged to attend a presentation by a very bright and talented high school senior, Julie Richards, as part of an independent study class. With her permission, I am going to discuss her findings and suggestions in her excellent paper entitled, "Alcohol and Teens."
Ms. Richards' information came from various sources and authorities in the field of alcoholism and included some of the following statistics and facts:
• Drinking begins, typically in the United States, between the ages of 12 and 16.
• Alcohol-related highway accidents are the greatest cause of teenage deaths.
• 41 percent of all high school seniors drink to drunkenness at least once every two weeks.
• 3.3 million teenagers have a drinking problem.
• Alcohol is the number one killer of 15 - 24 year olds.
• Alcohol is the number one drug problem among teenagers.
Julie presented many visual illustrations including the following symptoms of alcoholism:
• Greater and greater tolerance for alcohol
• Personality changes
• Obvious uncontrolled drinking and/or binge drinking
• Blackouts
• Denial of problems
• Drinks gulped
• Solitary drinking
• Malnutrition and other medical problems caused by excessive alcohol use
She discussed symptoms of teenage alcohol abuse including lowered school performance, the replacement of old friends with friends that use alcohol, and secretive patterns of behavior in an attempt to hide alcohol use.
Part of the presentation concerned techniques and guidelines to use when confronting someone you believe has an alcohol problem. She said one must be well informed about alcohol abuse, understanding that denial is a typical initial response by the alcohol abuser. Confronters need to carefully choose the time, place and careful wording so that the confrontation has a maximum chance of being effective. And, she stressed having a confident and positive manner along with information about resources for assistance with alcohol related problems.
During the final part of her presentation, this student offered strategies and techniques for prevention.
• Parents should openly discuss the problem of alcoholism with their teenagers and serve as good role models especially where the use of alcohol is concerned.
• Parents should encourage healthy habits with their teenagers including proper nutrition, adequate rest and exercise.
• Proper alternatives need to be provided for teenagers including such things as sports, creative outlets, social functions and cultural opportunities.
Hopefully teenagers and their parents will benefit from this thorough study by this high school student.
