Teen Drinking

I believe my son/daughter is taking my prescription medication and drinking alcohol?

Why spend money with a drug dealer if there are good drugs and ALCOHOL in your own house? Don’t assume that your kids won’t take your prescription medications or your ALCOHOL.

For starters, the most immediate thing to do is cut off the access. Keep your prescription medications and all alcoholic beverages must be in a secure location. The medicine cabinet in a common bathroom is not that area.

If you have your own, private bathroom, that is no protection from curious and resourceful kids. Moreover, as extreme as it sounds, it’s a good idea for you to control ALL medications AND ALCOHOL in your home. If you child needs an aspirin, you give it to them.

Inventory your drugs and ALCOHOL to keep an accurate count of how much you have on hand. If your medication supply is depleting more rapidly than the prescribed amount calls for, you have evidence that someone else might be taking them.

If a prescription medication has expired, or is no longer needed, discard it. Let’s say you had a hip injury and the doctor gave you some pain medication to help you through. You have some left over. Don’t keep it.

There are public service announcements that have run on television about how teens get their hands on prescription medications. The meds are unguarded, and teens take them, thinking they will get “high.” Taking someone else’s prescription medication, especially if you don’t know what it’s for, is like playing “Russian Roulette” with your brains.

Talk to your kids and have a conversation about both prescription medications and over-the-counter medications.

We all want our kids to be respectful of the drugs and alcohol in our homes, and we expect them to listen and cooperate. But let that be a mutual understanding. Dialog with them. Be sure to inspect what you expect. You need to be the parent and the watchdog in your house.

Teen Drinking: Causes of Teen Alcoholism

Why can one person drink and never have to worry about developing the disease called alcoholism, while another person is in jeopardy by merely taking one sip, what causes alcoholism in one person and not another?

Like the onset of many other diseases, alcoholism may afflict one person and not another because of individual factors or circumstances. We don't really know what makes one brain or teen susceptible and another not.

Teen Drinking: Alcohol is brain altering

Other Causes of Teen Alcoholism/Teen Drinking are alcohol alters the balance of some brain chemicals. For example, gamma-aninobutyric acid (GABA) controls impulsive actions, but under the influence of alcohol, that function is decreased.

Another chemical is glutamate which stimulates the central nervous system. Alcohol alters the levels of dopamine, which contributes to the pleasurable “click” that people with the disease experience when taking the first drink. When the brain chemistry is changed, the body begins to crave alcohol, thus more and more drug is needed to “feel good.” This is another of the Causes of Teen Alcoholism.

Teen Drinking: Trying to feel good

Teens naturally want to feel good, and when something makes you feel good, such as taking a drink, it’s understandable you will want to repeat the experience. That “click” is the first warning sign of potential problems. The disease progresses as alcohol changes brain chemistry.

When brain chemicals are increased or decreased, the body craves more and more alcohol. The body “needs” the alcohol to feel good. Alcoholism has set in.

What risk factors cause Teen Alcoholism and Tenn Drinking?

There are several possible Causes of Teen Alcoholism and risk factors for the disease. The individual is the determining factor when assessing risk of contracting the disease. One or more of these causes/risk factors can indicate the presence of alcohol abuse or addiction.

Genetic: If your parents or grandparents were addicted to alcohol, the chances are strong that you will be vulnerable to the disease. Health care workers will take a family history to look for risk factors for many diseases. Alcoholism is no different. Children of alcoholics will not necessarily become alcoholics themselves, but the medical history indicates a possibility.

Emotional Makeup: People may use alcohol to block the pain in the life. Alcohol is used as a coping device and there are certain stress hormones that may contribute to the progression of the disease.

Psychological: People suffering from depression or low self-esteem may be more likely to develop a drinking problem. They are more likely to try to “fit in” with their friends, who “enable” the problem to continue.

Social: Alcohol is legal, readily available and drinking is socially acceptable. Alcohol is promoted heavily in the media, and having a few beers before, during and after a sporting event is part of American culture. There is a peer pressure to drink, to be a part of the crowd.

Frequency: Drinking alcohol regularly can cause alcoholism. People who drink regularly over time may be at risk of developing a physical dependence on alcohol. If studies show that one/two drinks per day for the average person (15 per week for men, 12 per week for women) is within safe limits, then it follows that going beyond that limit can produce problems.

Age: Young people are at greater risk of developing alcoholism, especially if they start drinking by age 16 or sooner.

Gender: Men are more likely to develop the disease than women.

If a person has risk factors at play, that does not mean they are automatically going to develop the disease; it is not necessarily a Causes of Teen Alcoholism. It is possible, likewise, for a person with no risk factors at all, no family history, to develop the disease. It is important for people to know the risk factors and the causes of the disease to avoid getting into trouble with alcohol.

Alcoholism can’t happen to me or my kid!

Another common mistake people make is assuming “it won’t happen to me.” In a society that glorifies alcohol consumption, from beers at sporting events, to fine wines at upscale establishments, the risk factors are obvious. Two martini lunches and bourbon on the rocks after office hours are indicators that

Americans embrace alcohol use. Alcohol is everywhere. Education is important, to understand how the disease progresses, how it can be managed or avoided, and how it impacts our society in general.

Not everybody who drinks develops the disease, but it is important to understand that it is possible and that moderation is a key element in maintaining a healthy balance. If there are risk factors present, if a person begins to use alcohol more frequently, or daily, then there may be a problem. (See signs and symptoms.) LINK

Tenn Drinking Is Everywhere in our culture

Because alcohol is so prevalent in our society, because it is so widely accepted if not embraced, it is difficult to see when a person is slipping from social drinking into something more problematic. The individual who is on the downward slide is not likely to recognize any of the signs and therefore needs others to intercede.

We encourage you to examine these risk factors and Causes of Teen Alcoholism to see if there is a problem in your life, or with someone you love, or someone you know. If there is, please seek the help of an alcohol treatment professional.

For more answers to Teen Drinking questions concerning Teens click here


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