September 4, 2009

Adolescent Alcohol Abuse: A Severe Problem

Alcohol abuse statistics demonstrate the fact that alcohol abuse among teenagers is increasing in the United States. What are some of the reasons for this? More than a few chemical dependency experts state that alcohol advertisements brought into being by the media are a major reason for the increase in youth alcohol abuse.

Other chemical dependency authorities articulate that the increase in is due to the toleration and ease of access of beer, wine, and liquor in our society.

Still other alcohol dependency specialists think that many of our young people engage in alcohol abuse because of the increased disquiet that they undergo.

From a slightly different viewpoint, since both parents in many families work full or part-time, the lack of parental guidance surely has to play a major role in the increase in . And last of all, diverse alcohol abuse professionals articulate that the rise in is due, in some degree, to our permissive society.

Hazardous Drinking and Coping Skills Training

One component of that seems to be under reported in the alcoholism research findings, to the contrary, is the nonexistence of educational courses that teach teens how to further develop their coping skills so that their risky drinking behavior is radically diminished or eliminated.

Stated more precisely, science has demonstrated that there is an indirect correlation between poor coping skills and excessive drinking. In effect, this means that the more mediocre the coping skills, the greater the incidence of alcohol abuse. To the extent that this is a correct assertion, why isn’t coping skills education a fundamental part of the educational prospectus in all of our high schools, junior high schools, and elementary schools?

A Society That Highlights Teenage Coping Skills

Let us create a scenario for for the purpose of illumination. Let us imagine a society in which all people are taught how to achieve solid coping skills all the way from kindergarten up to and including the twelfth grade.

In such a society, when life gets demanding, people who are “coping skills masters” will be able to respond in a healthier and more rewarding way, as opposed to others who are unsuccessful in their attempts to put their coping skills into practice.

Stated another way, students who exhibit good coping skills will be more able to think clearly and exhibit excellent decision making as opposed to students who, because they do not possess outstanding coping skills, gravitate to the “quick fix” of abusive drinking.

What would happen in the above “ideal” society, what’s more, if teens not only got first class coping skills instruction but also obtained a first-rate education that accentuated the long term and short term destructive outcomes associated with drug abuse and alcohol abuse? Emphasizing these types of drug and alcohol abuse facts, along with more highly developed coping skills instruction, it is emphasized, would help teens keep away from the apparent appeal associated with teen drinking and, therefore, would radically decrease the dangerous drinking behavior undertaken by adolescents in our country.

: Conclusion

There are evidently various convincing reasons why so many of our teens drink in a dangerous manner. Such a complex predicament demands a far-reaching and more pertinent educational and preventative response by our politicians, students, educators, and parents so that our youth can learn how to cope with life’s predicaments in a more fruitful and accountable manner instead of gravitating to harmful drinking behavior to solve their difficulties.

Tags

Related posts

Filed under Work Out Tips by

Permalink Print