Posts Tagged ‘adolescent alcohol abuse’

Youth Alcohol Abuse: A Hazardous Problem

Saturday, November 7th, 2009

Recent alcohol abuse statistics show that alcohol abuse among teenagers is increasing in the United States. What are some of the reasons for this? Numerous alcohol addiction experts think that wine, beer, and liquor ads generated by the media are a key reason for the proliferation of teen alcohol abuse.

Other alcoholism consultants declare that the increase in youth alcohol abuse is due to the toleration and convenience of beer, liquor, and wine in our society.

Still other alcoholism specialists articulate that numerous adolescents get involved in destructive drinking because of the increased tension that they undergo.

From a somewhat different viewpoint, due to the fact that both parents in a number of families work full or part-time, the lack of parental supervision evidently has to play an essential role in the rise in teenage alcohol abuse. And lastly, diverse alcohol dependency professionals declare that the escalation of teenage alcohol abuse is due, in some degree, to our “anything goes” society.

Excessive Drinking and Coping Skills Education

One facet of teen alcohol abuse that seems to be somewhat incomplete in the alcohol addiction research literature, alternatively, is the lack of educational programs that teach teenagers how to enhance their coping skills so that their excessive drinking behavior is notably reduced or exterminated.

More specifically, science has illustrated the fact that there is an indirect correlation between poor coping skills and abusive drinking. In actual fact, this means that the worse the coping skills, the higher the incidence of alcohol abuse. To the extent that this is a truthful contention, why isn’t coping skills education a key part of the educational core curriculum in all of our junior high schools, elementary schools, and high schools?

A Society That Emphasizes Youth Coping Skills

Let us construct a scenario for the purpose of clarification. Let us imagine a society in which students are taught how to achieve first rate coping skills all the way from kindergarten up to and including their senior year in high school.

In such a society, when life gets complicated, individuals who are “coping skills masters” will be able to respond in a healthier and more creative way, as opposed to others who fail to put their coping skills into action.

Stated more explicitly, students who display first-class coping skills will be more able to think clearly and display top-shelf decision making as opposed to adolescents who, because they lack quality coping skills, resort to the “quick fix” of hazardous drinking.

What would happen in the above “ideal” society, moreover, if teens not only obtained first-rate coping skills instruction but also received an exclusive education that focused on the short term and long term devastating costs associated with drug abuse and alcohol abuse? Such an emphasis on drug and alcohol abuse facts, along with more highly developed coping skills training, it is emphasized, would help teens steer clear of the apparent allure of underage drinking and, consequently, would notably lessen the risky drinking behavior exhibited by adolescents in our country.

Adolescent Alcohol Abuse: Conclusion

There are clearly various defensible reasons why so many of our teenagers abuse alcohol. Such a complex subject matter demands an all-inclusive and more pertinent educational and preventative response by our politicians, educators, students, and parents so that our youth can learn how to cope with life’s problems in a more productive and accountable way instead of resorting to alcohol abuse to solve their difficulties.

Adolescent Alcohol Abuse: A Precarious Problem

Monday, October 5th, 2009

Recent alcohol abuse statistics demonstrate the fact that alcohol abuse among adolescents is increasing in the United States. What are some of the reasons for this? Quite a few substance abuse consultants claim that alcohol advertisements brought into being by the media are a significant reason for the escalation of teen alcohol abuse.

Other alcohol dependency specialists declare that the increase in teenage alcohol abuse is due to the acceptability and convenience of liquor, beer, and wine in our society.

Still other chemical dependency professionals stress the point that quite a few of our teens get involved in harmful drinking because of the increased apprehension that they live through.

From a somewhat different perspective, since both parents in quite a few families work full or part-time, the lack of parental supervision clearly has to play a fundamental part in the escalation of teenage alcohol abuse. And last but not least, various alcohol addiction authorities argue that the proliferation of teen alcohol abuse is due, in part, to our “anything goes” society.

Coping Skills and Alcohol Abuse

One element of teenage alcohol abuse that looks like it is somewhat incomplete in the alcohol abuse research results, nevertheless, is the scarcity of educational programs that teach teenagers how to improve upon their coping skills so that their dangerous drinking behavior is notably lessened or gotten rid of.

Stated more explicitly, scientific research has demonstrated that there is an indirect link between poor coping skills and abusive drinking. Basically, this means that the more mediocre the coping skills, the higher the occurrence of alcohol abuse. To the degree that this is a correct statement, why isn’t coping skills instruction a significant part of the academic core curriculum in all of our elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools?

A Society That Emphasizes Youth Coping Skills

Let us create a scenario for for the purpose of elucidation. Let us imagine a society in which all people are trained how to develop good coping skills all the way from kindergarten up to and including their senior year in high school.

In such a society, when life gets difficult, people who are ”coping skills experts” will be able to respond in a more healthy and more successful way, as opposed to others who are unsuccessful in their attempts to execute their coping skills.

More to the point, students who show evidence of first-class coping skills will be more able to think clearly and display top-shelf decision making as opposed to teens who, because they are deficient in top quality coping skills, are drawn to the “quick fix” of hazardous drinking.

What would happen in the above “ideal” society, moreover, if teenagers not only received top quality coping skills training but also received an extraordinary education that emphasized the long term and short term destructive results associated with drug abuse and alcohol abuse? Such an emphasis on drug and alcohol abuse facts, along with more highly developed coping skills instruction, it is proclaimed, would help teenagers stay away from the noticeable charm associated with youth drinking and, accordingly, would fundamentally diminish the destructive drinking behavior demonstrated by adolescents in our country.

Adolescent Alcohol Abuse: Conclusion

There are positively several legitimate reasons why so many of our teenagers drink in a destructive manner. Such a thorny problem demands a broad based and more meaningful educational and preventative response by our parents, students, politicians, and educators so that our youth can learn how to cope with life’s problems in a more fruitful and accountable way instead of resorting to alcohol abuse to solve their problems.