Is Your Teen Drinking Too Much
Alcohol is a drug, that is widely used in moderate amounts due to its antidepressant effects. It is easy for teens to obtain alcohol, even when underage, particularly if in a peer group and a community that approves of and encourages regular alcohol drinking, and where there is alcohol use in the home.
Parents today face a challenge because alcohol has long been regarded as a harmless social tool, that has had widespread public acceptance when used in moderation.
Ironically, it has only been since the industry has attempted to prove a scientific basis for the health benefits of alcohol when used in moderation that strong evidence has emerged that alcohol is in fact a toxic drug that ideally, we would be better off without.
For mature adults who have got into the habit of using alcohol in moderation, issues now arise as to what is a “safe” level of alcohol drinking. As most people drink alcohol to get a “buzz”, to feel intoxicated, most people who drink alcohol are using it at levels that can potentially harm their health.
If you are the parent of a teen, and encourage alcohol drinking, you are condoning their use of a drug.
As a depressant, alcohol will impede all levels of functionality in the body and mind. Whereas the body and mind in adulthood have reached maturity, childhood growth and development can still occur in some cases, up to the age of twenty five.
Alcohol has an adverse impact on childhood growth and development, that is inversely related to the age at which a child takes their first alcohol drink. Children in Canada might take their first alcohol drink at around the age of eleven. Cannabis use that is becoming more common in teens starts on average as early as thirteen, often preceded by alcohol use.
Studies have shown that kids into substance abuse as from the age of fifteen are more likely than not to continue their drug use into adolescence and early adulthood.
Alcohol and drug education by parents needs to start early – and best to begin before their child has started to use any kind of psychoactive drug, including the huffing of inhalants.
Perhaps a parent might think that it is easiest, and best to say to their teenager that they must not drink alcohol until they have completed their cycle of growth and become an “adult”. They can then make a choice about using alcohol – having known what it is like to live and function without it.
The risk of not allowing young children to drink alcohol, at all, is that they will come to see alcohol drinking as the forbidden fruit, see everyone else “enjoying themselves” and feel like they are missing out.
Teens might be at greater risk of alcohol related harm if they use alcohol “on the sneak”, do not tell their parents and get themselves into situations that they don’t have the life skills to handle.
The risk of allowing young people to drink alcohol from an early age, is that they will use alcohol in place of learning mature and effective personal and social skills. The feel good effects of alcohol can be a temptation to teens who for one reason or another are finding their life to be unrewarding.
The main driver of drug use and dependence is the avoidance of painful feelings. The abuse of drugs to get a “high” is ultimately only a reactive response, designed to overcome feelings of pain, anxiety and depression.
Alcohol is never safe for young people to drink. There are far too many negatives – and ultimately no positives that arise from habitual alcohol drinking.
The reality of teen alcohol use in Canada is that by their late teens, around 90% of children will have tried alcohol, with around 10% completely abstaining. Many kids who try alcohol do not go on to regular drinking, nor do they become addicted.
Parents who educate their children about the risks of alcohol drinking from an early age and who provide a loving and supportive environment may find that their kids make a decision simply not to use alcohol, despite opportunity.
However parents need to be aware that children will always need some space and freedom to explore and engage with their own experience of life – you can’t put an old head on young shoulders. Studies have shown that where adults allow their children to drink with them, at mealtimes, in the home, it has a protective function against binge.drinking.
However, drinking with parents does not necessarily prevent children from experimenting with alcohol outside of the home. and even children of abstaining parents might want to try out alcohol for themselves.
Children who enjoy a supportive relationship with their parents, who want to try alcohol, do not set out to drink in a spirit of defiance, nor for the purpose of emotional comfort – their most likely reaction after a few experiments with drinking is that they can take it or leave it.
To stay on top of the pressures in life and to encourage a drug free life for your kids, parents need to:
Be Informed,
Be Ready to Talk,
Be prepared to listen, -
Communicate - and allow children, within safe parameters, to enjoy some freedom of choice.
Parents need to be aware of the signs of a troubled child, of alcohol or drug abuse and be willing to consider getting professional help to resolve issues that might arise.
Comprehensive alcohol recovery programs in Canada enable young people to develop their full potential.
Narconon enables young people to achieve drug free, natural and complete alcohol and drug addiction recovery.
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