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.
 

When you think about the most common problems about teen drinking what comes to mind? An average person according to a recent study will say one out of two, drunk driving and teen pregnancy. Although both of those are very big problems and both of those may cause dire consequences there are unfortunately more issues, some of them even more serious. Just think about it, teen pregnancy has always been an issue, drunk driving also, but both of them together make up 18% of teenage alcohol problems. And we are talking about the serious ones. So the issue here is that parents don’t educate their teen child enough, which is due to the fact that they aren’t educated on this subject as well. Here are some of the other very serious problems caused by teen drinking.

The problem that might scar a teenager the most is the one very obvious but rarely mentioned issue, brain damage. People tend to think that brain cells regenerate and that they can do whatever they want and nothing will happen. Well no matter how fast the brain cells can regenerate, at some point the brain itself loses the function to regenerate, and it’s even worse for teenage drinkers. Drinking in a phase when they are still developing may cause many problems for them; learning disability is one of those problems. More than two thirds of students whose average grade are D’s are already heavy drinkers. Although no one can make a connection whether they drink because they have D’s or they have D’s because they drink.
The next great problem is drinking during depression. Most teenagers drink when they are depressed, thinking that will ease their mind. Unfortunately that is not so, in fact depression plus alcohol is a very bad combination that sometimes leads to suicide attempts. Of course the next issue is that alcohol is the stepping stone or gateway to other illegal substances for teenagers like marijuana and other drugs.
The most recent survey conducted at the Harvard medical school showed a very alarming result. Girl teenage drinkers who drink almost every day have five times more chances of developing a breast cancer than non drinkers. That fact simply makes you wonder about the other effects of alcohol on a growing body. That being said parents need to educate themselves in order to educate their children, just telling them don’t drink and drive and if you have sex be safe is not enough.

More and more teenagers are becoming addicted to something, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs even technology like cell phones and internet, they simply cannot live without those things. But the most critical form of abuse is substance abuse. Substance abuse like drugs and alcohol may cause unimaginable consequences for a teenager, so once parents see the symptoms they should act immediately. This is the perfect place to inform yourself about the symptoms of drug abuse, but in this article we will cover the next step, alcohol and drug rehab.

Teen drug abuse has reached a new high, alcohol is standing in its place, it has even lowered a bit. But drugs are on the rise for the last 7 years according to statistics, so checking up on your child might be a good idea, but you need to do that in a loving way that allows communication, there is no need to go Gestapo on your child. Once you figure out that your child is using drugs you need to consult a professional, they will most likely recommend a good drug rehab clinic for your child. But that is the part where you make a choice for your child, because getting your child to a wrong clinic is the same as not getting him to a clinic at all.
What you need to do is again educate yourself about possible treatments and measures that need to be taken in order to get your child back on track. I know that this can be a very painful process, but you need to understand one very important thing, the longer your teenager stays in a clinic for rehab the better. Almost 60% of drug users suffer a relapse after finishing rehab, most of that is due to a short rehab time. Rehab is not only used to clear the body and cure the physical addiction, which a short rehab therapy can do. No, you need a longer rehab for your child allowing him to get rid of substance abuse mentally, to allow his mind to become stronger and realize that he doesn’t need drugs anymore. Statistics have also shown that only 20% of teenagers attending a longer rehab have suffered relapse.
In the end there are many other things to keep in mind, when approaching a rehab clinic you need to be sure to check every aspect so you can feel at ease knowing that your child is in good hands. After all you are doing this for his or hers well being. This is a serious problem and requires a serious approach, but the most important thing about rehab is the love and unconditional support of the family and friends. With that in mind you can’t go wrong.

Today’s teenagers have been stereotyped as adventurous and harebrained individuals.  They are generally fond of experimenting with things until they get in touch with drugs, sex, guns, alcohol among others. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures, 16,000 young adults die each year from unintentional injuries and accidents.  The most common justification for teenagers’ care-free attitude is that their brains just aren’t developed enough to know better. However, recent research shows that in some cases the fact is just the opposite, the brain matures not too slowly but perhaps, too quickly.

According to a psychiatrist, an adolescent who engages in more dangerous activities have white-matter pathways that seem to be more mature than those of risk-averse youths.  White-matter is the brain’s wiring, the neutral pathways that connect the various gray-matter regions of the cerebrum that are independent of one another.  Having a mature white-matter is necessary because it allows faster brain processing speed.  Nerve impulses also travel faster in mature white-matter. Experiments also reveal that the more mature the look of the brain, the more adventurous the teenager tended to be.
Another possible explanation is that some teenagers whose brains develop more rapidly than others become uncomfortable and a little confused owing to the gap between their biological capabilities and the social norms they must follow as kids. Precocious development of these neural tracts may make some adolescents more susceptible to engage in behaviors that society considers too adult in nature for their chronological age. It is also a common notion that teens make dumb decisions because their brains are immature. In other words, having a more mature brain may actually motivate some teens to try out new and potentially harmful experiences.
For now, these theories are mere speculation, and the researchers concede that the interaction of white and gray matter is so complex that hard conclusions remain elusive. The results of the study are relatively bare and by no means conclusive. The human brain is so intricate in nature, and one has to consider the fact that there are other factors that come into play such as the environment and certain genetic predispositions that are equally complex to study.