Teenage use of alcohol in Philadelphia

Experimentation with alcohol and drugs during adolescence is common. Unfortunately, teenagers often don't see the link between their actions today and the consequences tomorrow. There are hundreds of thousands of teenagers in the United States who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse. Tens of thousands of these young people live in Pennsylvania and many thousands live in Philadelphia. Many teens in our area try alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. Some of them try these substances only a few times and stop. Others can't control their urges or cravings for them. This is substance abuse (Haynes, Michele, 2012). Teens may try a number of substances, including cigarettes, alcohol, household chemicals (inhalants), prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and illegal drugs. Teens use alcohol more than any other substance. The main reasons why teenagers start drinking are because they want to fit in a community, group or gang, to escape or relax, to rebel. And of course one of the most important reasons why teens drink is teen pressure (Catalano, Richard F., 2012). There are lots of sad consequences of teenage drinking in Philadelphia, for example, drunk driving or engagement in unprotected sex or having multiple sex partners.

Binge drinking (defined as a report of five or more drinks in a row within the past two weeks) is extremely dangerous. Overall, 12.5% of Philadelphia students have reported at least one episode of binge drinking in the past two weeks (Rashad. Inas, 2013). Several studies have shown that binge drinking is related to higher probabilities of drinking and driving. Car accidents are a leading cause of death for teenagers. In the 12 months prior to April 2010 in Philadelphia, 41 drivers and riders were killed who tested at or over 0.05 (the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration (BAC)). Of those, six were aged under 21, 16 were aged 21–29, 11 were aged 30–39 and eight were aged 40 years and over (Journal of Studies on Alcohol & Drugs, 2010). Unfortunately, in spite of great progress, alcohol-impaired driving remains a serious national problem that tragically affects many victims annually.

The relationship between substance use and adolescent sexual activity is an important one, and extensive literature has shown that substance use is positively associated with adolescent sexual behaviors (Kaestner, Rober, 2008). Regardless of their gender or ethnicity, teenagers who drink alcohol are more likely to have sex than youths who do not drink, according to a study of Michigan youths ages 12 to 17. For young women, alcoholuse was the only factor that increased the probability of engaging in sex by 10 percent or more. Daniel Perkins, a University of Florida researcher, said in a statement, "If you're both drinking alcohol and a little out of it, [sex] might seem like the right thing to do." Perkins emphasizes that "everyone must drive home the very real dangers of mixing alcohol, drugs, and sex — pregnancy, HIV, STDs, and rape."

The majority of car accidents and engagements in unprotected sex because of teenage use of alcohol could be avoided. The most obvious solution to this problem is talking to teens while it is not too late. It's not uncommon for parents to be concerned about illegal drugs like marijuana or heroin yet overlook alcohol. But in the numbers game, alcohol is a much greater risk to teenagers. Most experts agree that we should be talking to our kids at early primary school age. By the time children are between 8 and 10, they've already formed fairly clear views on alcohol. So if you leave it until they're 14, it's simply too late (Caroline West, 2010). So what about the idea of teaching teenagers to drink safely at home? Well, according to the latest surveys, it's a pretty common occurrence. And while it may sound good in theory, the reality is that many parents are turning a blind eye to their kids drinking freely at parties with the mistaken belief that if it's at home, it's somehow safe. So what do the experts advice? Well, it's really a matter of commonsense. Set boundaries for what is acceptable and stick to them. Then there's the media. Parents are right up against it when it comes to advertising and the media in general. There's a constant bombarding of images of sporting heroes with alcohol that says it's cool to drink. The reality of drinking to excess is never shown, so it's essential that you debunk a few myths and talk to your kids about what they're seeing. The media won't do your job for you (Caroline West, 2010). Schools don't operate in a vacuum. The lessons learned about alcohol at school should be reinforced at home. Parents should listen to what children have to say, take an interest in where they're going and what they're doing. Parents should encourage the message that getting drunk isn't funny and it isn't cool. It's a very complex area, but most experts agree that at least acknowledging that under-age drinking is a problem is the first step.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14