DANGERS OF ALCOHOL USE

Children are challenged at younger ages than ever before to try drugs. Use of tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine are serious problems. However, one of the most abused drugs in our society is alcohol. Alcohol is a drug because it acts as a depressant on the nervous system and is very addictive. Though it's illegal for people under age 21 to drink, we all know that most teenagers are no strangers to alcohol. Many of them are introduced to alcohol during childhood.

· About one out of five fifth graders have been drunk.

· Four out of 10 sixth graders say there is pressure from other students to drink.

· Nearly 80 percent of high school seniors report having used alcohol.

Alcohol is often the first drug that young people try. Some parents may breathe a sigh of relief when they find out their teen is "only" drinking alcohol. Since alcohol is legal and found in most American homes, parents may think it isn't dangerous. Not true. Alcohol can be very harmful.

Childhood drinking begins early, often between 11 and 13 years of age, and sometimes even younger. Alcohol is often called a "gateway drug." When young people like the feeling they get from alcohol, they may be interested in trying other drugs later. This can lead to multiple drug use, which is very dangerous. The use of alcohol, by itself or with other drugs, can harm your child's normal growth and development.

Even if a teenager only drinks occasionally, intoxicated behavior can be lethal. Just one drink can impair decision making and slow down reaction time in any situation. Alcohol is linked with a variety of risky behaviors, such as:

· Crime and serious violence.

· Early sexual activity, multiple partners, sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS, and unintended teenage pregnancy.

· Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Drinking during pregnancy can cause a baby to be born with major birth defects. No one knows exactly how much alcohol is too much during pregnancy, but the more a mother drinks, the greater the risk to her baby.

· Drunk driving. It is the leading cause of death for young adults, aged 15 to 24 years. In one study, an estimated 6 percent to 14 percent of drivers under 21 years of age who were stopped at roadside checkpoints had been drinking. This age-group makes up only one fifth of the licensed drivers in the United States, yet they are involved in almost half of all fatal car crashes.

Most adolescents never move beyond the first stage of alcohol use. Whether they do or not depends for the most part on their personality, their family, and their community. For those who do move to the advanced stages, the entire process can take months or years. Many young people and adults receive help too late. This is why early detection is so important.

With a current emphasis on the dangers of underage drinking, you may wonder why young people continue to drink alcohol. There are a variety of reasons:

· Curiosity. They have heard that getting drunk is fun and they want to find out for themselves.

· They see drinking as a "rite of passage" – something to be experienced on the way to adulthood.

· To get drunk. This explains why they often drink until they are out of control. Binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks in a row for males, four for females) is alarmingly common. Sixteen percent of 8th graders, 25 percent of 10th graders, and 30 percent of seniors have reported binge drinking.

· To fit in with friends who are already using alcohol.

· To feel relaxed and to boost self-confidence.

· To escape problems, such as depression, family conflict, trouble in school or with a boyfriend or girlfriend.

In addition to these factors, young people today are surrounded by messages in the media that drinking alcohol is normal, desirable, and harmless. Alcohol companies spend billions of dollars every year on advertising and promoting their products on TV, in movies and magazines, on billboards, and at sporting events. In fact, alcohol products are among the most advertised products in the nation. Young people are the primary targets of many of these ads.

Alcohol companies and advertisers never mention the dangers of alcoholism, drinking and driving, or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Most ads show drinkers as healthy, energetic, sexy, and successful. Help your teenager understand the difference between these misleading messages in advertising and the truth about the dangers of drinking.