Teenagers drink as much alcohol as adults, which is a fact. I don’t mean the quantity of alcohol drank, but the number, percentage of teenagers that drink is the same percentage for adults. Over 80% of teenagers have tried alcohol, but in the end drinking comes down to a simple choice, whether they want to drink or not is totally up to them, but once they are considered as adults. So let’s take a look at some of the reasons why teenagers drink, although my bet is you can guess the first reason.
The first and the most talked about reasons is that teenagers think it's cool, the same thing is with cigarettes and with drugs. But there are several reasons behind it, for instance, teenagers will be more likely to start drinking if they have parents who drink or if their friends drink. Parents need to give them a clear message and to educate them about drinking before they even think about drinking.
Alcohol is basically a drug that changes how we feel, the sensation that we feel at the lower levels of alcohol can be a very pleasant thing, which is what most of the people who drink look for, but unfortunately not all of us can stop when it is pleasant and we often take it overboard. That is even more common for teenagers, as they still don’t know their limits.
Alcohol is in fact a depressant for the central nervous system, so most people think they will chill out with a few drinks, but the few drinks often turn into much more, especially with teens, as they don’t know how much is enough. But there are plenty of other reasons why teenagers drink besides thinking its cool, another popular reason is curiosity. But that is why they start, or try alcohol in the first place.
Two more popular reasons are to fit in and to feel older. If you are thinking that it sounds stupid, it isn’t, well it is, but it’s not any more stupid than anything that we did in their age. I mean how many of us tried alcohol in our teen years? That is how teenagers are, and most of them will do just about anything to fit in, even do drugs.
It is needless to say that most of the reasons for drinking come from the family, as that can be well defined for adults it is not so easy for teenagers, as they are still experimenting and have no idea what they are getting themselves into. The only choice and option you have as a parent is to educate your child about alcohol and its effects before they try it. Maybe that will give them a better understanding of what they are missing.
