Teen Drinking | Teen Ink

Teen Drinking MAG

By Anonymous

Have you ever been offered an alcoholic beverage? What about someone saying “Don’t worry, just have one little sip”? Most people have their first drink by the time they’re 13. That first drink can be the start of a troubled life.

Drinking can make teens feel good, but that lasts only a short time. Teenagers on shows like “Gossip Girl” or “Degrassi” get drunk regularly, but those shows rarely ­explore the problems alcohol can cause. ­Alcohol clouds your brain and hinders your ability to make decisions. Excessive drinking literally makes your brain shrink and can cause serious damage. Binge drinking can cause learning disabilities and damage your memory. It distorts your ­vision and leads to blackouts. Teenagers often think that drinking will give you more energy, but alcohol isn’t an energy drink; it’s a depressant.

Drinking alcohol affects your inhibitions and makes you do things you wouldn’t if you were sober. Many girls get pregnant and drop out of school because they make the mistake of drinking too much and having unprotected sex. Twelve percent of 15- to 17-year-olds reported having unprotected sex when drinking or using drugs. Also, 24 percent said that because of drinking or drugs they had “done more” sexually than they had intended.

Sometimes girls don’t have a choice. Rape also happens when people drink too much. It only takes one night to mess up your life.

Drinking and driving is one of the top causes of death for teen boys. An alcohol-­related motor vehicle crash kills one person every 33 minutes and injures someone every two minutes. The rate of teenagers driving drunk is so high that the government is trying to pass new laws restricting teen driving.

When we get to high school, friends start pressuring us to drink. High school students see alcohol as glamorous and a way to become popular. I created a survey at my school. Twenty-four of the 63 respondents predicted they would drink in high school. Eleven said maybe, and 28 said they don’t plan on drinking.

Regardless of what they say now, things can change. Teens starting high school want to fit in. They ­often go from being top dog in junior high to being “fresh meat.” Some people will do anything to be accepted, including potentially hurting themselves. They think that one drink won’t do anything. A little bit of alcohol probably won’t kill you, but it can lead to poor decisions.

I’ve been pressured to do many things, ­including drinking. Drinking causes you to be vulnerable; be safe. High school is the time to experiment with what you want to do in life, but if you’re experimenting with alcohol you could hurt someone, including ­yourself.



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This article has 159 comments.


on Apr. 17 2011 at 5:56 pm
FeelTheRomance18, Tucson, Arizona
0 articles 0 photos 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged cupid painted blind. -Lysander, A Midsummer Night's Dream

You guys are terrible.

toptenteens said...
on Apr. 4 2011 at 6:33 pm
I agree completely

on Mar. 26 2011 at 10:01 am
ElectroMagneticPulse BRONZE, London, Other
1 article 0 photos 17 comments

wow - good for you!

I recall that when i was little i always hated the smell even though i wasn't even sure on what it was. I don't know if it's just me - but even when you don't know the awful affects of alcohol, i think it would seem disgusting anyway. Because i've never had people try to pressure me into taking it, i shouldn't talk, but still...


salvy9669 said...
on Mar. 22 2011 at 6:37 pm
hi i can't say what u live or feel to make u do these harmful things to ur body but i can tell u that after the drug's effects wear off how do u feel? do u feel energetic or happy? or do u feel worn out and not soo goood? because the high only lasts a little while and then u'll have to come back into the real world realm[: so i'm just saying that i might not knw because of experience but from family members who have done drugs like acid and drinking and smoking, does a bad number to u physically mentally and emotionally! so anyways ppl can tell u all they want right but u don't have to listen its ur body and u'll do what u want but look at ur future and the long term effects of ur decisions right now=}

on Mar. 17 2011 at 2:43 pm
RixxOhSixx GOLD, Rice Lake, Wisconsin
12 articles 5 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's never too late to become the
person you might have been."
- George Elliot

I love Degrassi. Honestly, it's basically just like my school. I've been through and put into about 80% of the situations on the show. It's really drama filled, but I love it at the same time. (:

honeydipp23 said...
on Mar. 4 2011 at 10:42 am
honeydipp23, St.paul, Minnesota
0 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
yeah or kk

sweetie drinking is really bad including smoking .! all your doing is hurting yourself .! ,, iwould stop if i where you .

breebree said...
on Mar. 4 2011 at 7:38 am
latly ive been smoking alot of dmt and using acid and ive learned that scioety was really only implamented to keep me grounded in the physical realm but i can free myself, but your right drinking is a harmful drug

zack31 said...
on Feb. 20 2011 at 2:28 pm
send me some grass and ill let u know

thecatch said...
on Feb. 10 2011 at 1:31 pm
thecatch,
0 articles 0 photos 3 comments
Alcohol and teens will never mix, nor will anything bad and humans mix. There is a connection. Have you ever noticed that there is something not right about it. Like stealing, its not right and we know it. Ever though it might not look like it, drinking isn't healthy for you. I believe that is also against the law in most states to drink till you are an adult at age 18(vary from state to state). Just saying.

thecatch said...
on Feb. 10 2011 at 1:25 pm
thecatch,
0 articles 0 photos 3 comments
wow. first of all, there is no upsides to something that is short lived(pleasurable) because you will keep wanting more, and to much can make you sick. Drinking will never bring out who you really are. It only brings out the stupidity in yourself to take that drink in the first place to get yourself that drunk. And why would someone ever want a person to confess that they have a crush on them when they are drunk? Sure, it makes you relaxed but it's not you. Yes, it can get out of hand and addiction can add on to it(if you get to attach). I for one will never get drunk. Oh, and it doesn't make you sound smart if you say that you've thrown up and passed out. It just shows another person that you were irresponsible and careless and decided to get drunk.

thecatch said...
on Feb. 10 2011 at 1:20 pm
thecatch,
0 articles 0 photos 3 comments
lower the drinking age won't do any good because then if a young teen is suffering from depression they can become addicted and that would cause serious problems.

TigerAustin said...
on Feb. 10 2011 at 11:53 am
TigerAustin, Warren, Ohio
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
being high is way dif it relaxing or fun

zack31 said...
on Jan. 21 2011 at 9:25 pm
if u want to get together we can see

zack31 said...
on Jan. 19 2011 at 10:21 pm
u would know

on Jan. 19 2011 at 6:04 pm
PrincessSparkle GOLD, Flint, Michigan
11 articles 0 photos 53 comments

Favorite Quote:
Whoever said Nothings impossible clearly never tried to slam a rotating door.

Agreed completely.

on Jan. 19 2011 at 6:03 pm

It feels nothing like that...

Just saying...


on Jan. 19 2011 at 5:59 pm
tomgirl.93 GOLD, Sudbury, Massachusetts
10 articles 2 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Learn who you are and stand by it."

It is something to worry about. Nearly 90% of the kids at my school of 1,600, pr so the claim. Its not that bad if it is only a little. Or I won't drive after. But the laws are something to look out for as well. 

on Jan. 19 2011 at 5:39 pm
Wolf_Warriorz SILVER, Belgrade, Montana
5 articles 0 photos 15 comments
Thank you! I am fourteen, my dad is an alcoholic, and both my parents and older siblings have fed me alcohol since age six. And that's just as far back as I can remember Every time it's tasted like pis and given me a headache. Now that I'm in high school, I know what alcohol is really like and I never drink at the parties. I'm usually the key keeper at the parties/gatherings my brother hosts because of this, and I have to say I do a very good job. Teens? Drinking? Unmixy things. Add in cars? *shudder*. Anyway,. For CC on the piece, I'm sorry, but this is all blatant information that when you read it, nothing ever really registers. If you were to "fluff it up" and add in actual real0life cases, this would be fantastic. For now? 3 stars. 

zck31 said...
on Jan. 19 2011 at 7:20 am
drinking and doing drugs can mess up your head. i remember when i broke my ankle the doctor gave me some pain relievers. the were so powerful i actually fell backwards into the bathtub when i got up to go. i threw up too. i never want to get high if it feels like that

1617almost said...
on Dec. 13 2010 at 3:54 pm
1617almost, Ukiah, California
0 articles 0 photos 26 comments
It is good to know these facts about teen drinking. I have drank a lot in the past but i stopped a while back. I didnt know nothing about the facts that you put on here but know I am glad that I dont drink no more thank you!!! (: