Teen Stress

Teen Stress and Other 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.

Alcohol is brain altering

Other issues caused by teen stress and alcohol are that drinking alters the balance of some brain chemicals. For example, a chemical in the brain called 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.” When teen stress is present this is all intensified.

Another of the Causes Alcoholism.

Trying to feel good and trying to reduce teen stress.

People 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

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. Healthcare professionals 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.

It can’t happen to me!

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

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.

Teen Stress and Troubled Teens: Likely Victims for Drug Abuse

We all have an image of the kind of kid that gets into trouble with drugs. They are the kids from the “other side of the tracks,” or those who are a little out of step with the natural flow of high school culture, or they are the “bad kids.”

These stereotypes are all commonly offered by adults trying to get their hands around the drug problem in their community. Allow me to paint a different picture.

Teen Stress and Troubled Teens could live in your house. They participate in school plays, play in the band, score touchdowns on the football field, or excel in mathematics competitions. They are the boy and girl next door, the kids who were brought up the right way by the right kind of parents.

Teen Stress and Troubled Teens are very common.

The divorce rates are high, so it has gotten to the point that at least half of the kids are from broken homes, bouncing back and forth between parents, the new boyfriend and as a result are left to figure out life by themselves. Divorce is a curse on children, a kind of emotional death sentence that is pronounced on the day dad finds a younger woman. It is the beginning of an emotional roller coaster that begins the day mom decides she doesn’t love dad anymore.

Our courts make it so easy to rip families apart. Divorce is common place, so much so that any marriage that lasts more than a few years is the exception to the rule. Teens don’t necessarily choose to share their feelings, nor are they necessarily capable of fully articulation their emotions, but they are susceptible to thinking that the momentary relief they think they receive from drugs is an acceptable way of dealing wit their circumstances.

OK, maybe there is no divorce involved, but why would Johnny turn to drugs when he has so much going for him? Mom and dad may be successful people and Johnny has every privilege, so why isn’t that enough? I see this all the time. So often Johnny is never told “no” and has never earned anything.

He does well in school, which is important, but as long as the grades are good, mom and dad are satisfied. As a football coach I see these kids a lot. They want discipline and structure. Even when we go through our rigorous conditioning drills, they respond favorably because they want to be led.

Then there are parents on the other end. A special education teacher told me the chilling story about a high school freshman girl he was trying to help. She was failing all of her classes and he wanted to talk to her parents. There was no father, so he called mom to tell her the situation and to try to come up with a plan to help the girl.

He told me that every sentence included the “F” word and the woman screamed at him, cursing him at every turn. He told me, “At risk kids may want the help, but when their parents have that attitude, there is little we can do.”

Teen Stress and Troubled Teens come from any kind of home, in any community. For a variety of reasons, and peer pressure may be at the top of the list, they make bad decisions that can lead to drug abuse and dependency.

It usually starts with alcohol or marijuana, but reports of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine use are by no means remote. Think of it this way, Mexican drug cartels exist because American kids buy drugs. Put aside the stereotypes for a moment and understand that any kid can get into trouble.

There are parents who try to keep on top of their children’s activities, and who have done everything to try to show them a proper and healthy way to live. They are proactive and understand that public schools and even private, religious schools, can be the marketplace for a variety of deadly substances.

So many teachers I know feel isolated, frustrated because they see the situation for what it is and can’t get through to parents. Some parents deny that their child would ever do “something so stupid,” and some parents blame the schools and the teachers, claiming “It’s their responsibility to teach our kids.”

We live in a society that believes there are no absolutes, no objective truth. Everything is relative. We are a secular nation and so only secular solutions are discussable.

Every generation that has ever existed has had its Teen Stress and Troubled Teens, but in the absence of religion, in the absence of firm community standards, and in the absence of the virtue of personal accountability, the percentage of Teen Stress and Troubled Teens can only increase. It’s hard enough to be a teenager, but pile on broken families, drugs, sex and no values and you have a recipe for emotional stress.

Teens are hard-wired to rebel. It’s part of the experience. Teens will be teens, which is why adults have to be the adults.

Even in a perfect world, some teens may fall into the troubled teen category, but in the absence of traditional Judeo-Christian values, or the anti-drug teachings of Islam, where is a teen going to turn for counsel?

How can divorced parents claim any moral authority?

How does a parent who curses a teacher for caring and trying to help, have any right to judge the school system?

The best start to find a solution to the problem of Teen Stress and Troubled Teens is to love them enough to make the tough choices.

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ABOUT…

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