BLOG POST 4: TEENAGE ALCOHOL ABUSE

Here in the Philippines many people specially teenagers are finding comfort in drinking liquors and other alcoholic beverages. Just what I said in my first blog post it all started in curiosity. At first teenagers will try a small amount until one day they will find their self addicted to it and they cannot even stop themselves in drinking. Some teenagers drink because they want to escape from their problems and leave reality even in just a minute of time.

I read an article entitled “Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse” from the site HELPGUIDE.ORG with its writers Melinda Smith, Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal.

In this article the writers discuss about the “Alcoholism and Alcohol abuse”, “Signs and Symptoms of alcohol abuse”, “Signs and symptoms of alcoholism (alcohol dependence)”, “Drinking problems and denial”, and  “When your teen has a drinking problem”.

In “Alcoholism and Alcohol abuse” they discuss that Alcoholism and Alcohol abuse are because of the following factors. First is the “Genetics”, they stated here that it is connected on how you grow, what is your social environment and of course your emotional health. Second are “the Racial groups” like American-Indians and Native Alaskans. Third are “the People who have a family history of alcoholism” or people surrounded by heavy drinkers. Fourth is “the People who suffer from a mental health problems” like anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder.

In “Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse” they discuss the signs and symptoms that a person is an alcohol abuser. First is the “Repeatedly neglecting your responsibilities at home, work, or school because of your drinking”. Second is the “Using alcohol in situations where it’s physically dangerous”. Third is the “Experiencing repeated legal problems on account of your drinking”. Fourth is the “Continuing to drink even though your alcohol use is causing problems in your relationships”. Fifth is the “Drinking as a way to relax or de-stress”.

In “Signs and symptoms of alcoholism (alcohol dependence)” they discuss the signs and symptoms of alcoholism in an alcohol dependent. First is the “Tolerance: The 1st major warning sign of alcoholism”. Second is the “Withdrawal: The 2nd major warning sign of alcoholism”, this includes anxiety or jumpiness, shakiness or trembling, sweating, nausea and vomiting, insomnia, depression, irritability, fatigue, loss of appetite and Headache. Third are the other symptoms like the lost of control over drinking, the desire to quit drinking, but can’t, the giving up of other activities for alcohol, alcohol gets the great deal of your energy and focus, drinking even if you know it cause problems.

In “Drinking problems and denial” they discuss how people who have a drinking problem denied that they have and they also give a guidelines on how to deny it. Like “Drastically underestimating how much you drink”, “Downplaying the negative consequences of your drinking”, “Complaining that family and friends are exaggerating the problem” and “Blaming your drinking or drinking-related problems on others”.

They also give the “Myths about Alcoholism and Alcohol abuse”. First myth is “I can stop drinking anytime I want to”. Second myth is “My drinking is my problem. I’m the one it hurts, so no one has the right to tell me to stop”. Third myth is “I don’t drink every day, so I can’t be an alcoholic or I only drink wine or beer, so I can’t be an alcoholic”. Fourth myth is “I’m not an alcoholic because I have a job and I’m doing okay”. Fifth myth is “Drinking is not a “real” addiction like drug abuse”.

In “When your teen has a drinking problem” they give some tips/steps that the parents can use for their drunken children. First step is “Lay down rules and consequences”. Second step is “Monitor your teen’s activity”. Third is “Encourage other interests and social activities”. Fourth is “Talk to your child about underlying issues. Drinking can be the result of other problems. Is your child having trouble fitting”. And the Fifth is “Get outside help”.

According to them “If your drinking is causing problems in your life, you have a drinking problem” I agree with them because I believe that drinking is not the solution to our problems, yes we can forget our problems because of the effect of liquor but when you wake-up the next day your problem is still there, and being drunk is not giving a solution to your problems in life.

After reading the article, there is another question that came into my mind and that was “What are the effects of alcohol abuse to the teenagers?”

With this I search through the internet to find the answer to my question, and luckily I found this article entitled “Alcohol and Teens” from the site MedicineNet.com with its writer Roxanne Dryden-Edwards.

In this article she discuss about Alcoholism means, how much alcohol do teens use, and  the dangerous effects of alcohol use in teens.

The definition of alcoholism that she discusses was the same as defined in my first article. For the question “How much alcohol do teens use?”, the answer, as written in her article that “14% of teens have been intoxicated at least once in the past year” and “8% of teens who drink say they drink at least five or more alcoholic drinks in a row (binge drink)”.

She also discuss in her article the effects of alcohol use in teens, here are some. First it decreases the ability of the teenager to pay attention. Second teenagers who experience alcohol withdrawal have difficulties in memorization. Third teenage brain that is exposed in alcohol has a risk that some parts of their brain will become smaller. Fourth teenager who drink was more likely engage in having intercourse with stranger.   And the Fifth it can cause emotional problems.

According to Roxanne “The younger a person is when they begin drinking, the more likely they are to develop a problem with alcohol” I agree with her because I believe that one’s a child is starting to drink, even a small amount of liquor/alcohol at first, the day will come that he/she is mot contented in a small amount anymore.

In teleserye and film/movies, there are many instances that they promote alcohol / liquor like in James Bond film entitled “Quantum of Solace” . These films/movies and teleserye are the one who makes the teenagers more curious in drinking liquor / alcohol that leads to alcohol abuse after a long time. Some of the children and teenagers tough that when you drink you are cool.

I found an article entitled “Alcohol in Movies Can Nudge Teens Toward Drinking” from the site  ncadd.org with its writer Jennifer Larue Huget.

 In this article the writer conducts a study. He interview more than 6,500 U.S. teenagers ages from 10 to 14 four times over two years, about the factors of their life including their parental behaviors, peer interactions, their own rebellious attitudes and behaviors and the movies they'd watched. As the result of the interview, it shows that in five years the children and teenagers see 8 hours worth of on-screen drinking.

According to Larue “perhaps regulating the uses of alcohol in movies could have an impact on teen drinking behaviors” I agree with her , the film makers need to minimize the appearance of liquor / alcohol in their movies/ teleserye because it has a strong impact that, teenagers and children can adopt.

Therefore I conclude that drinking liquor and alcoholic beverages is not the best way to escape from our problems. It is not the solution; yes it can make you forget your problems for a while because you are dizzy but when you wake up on the next day, it cannot deny the fact that your problem is still there and the alcohol cannot do anything to solve your problems.