25 Surprising Teenage Alcoholism Facts Every Parent Must Know

Unfortunately, teenagers nowadays can quickly become victims of serious alcohol addiction, and often leads to teen alcohol treatment to help the teen. The number of young people who suffer from alcoholism only grows as young people quickly come under the influence of others – especially kids known as ‘cool.’ They believe that drinking alcohol is trendy. Still, the dark side of alcohol consumption for teenagers is far from that. Hence, there is a structured sober living near me where I have seen many teenagers fighting to eliminate their addiction properly to get rid of it as soon as possible because they have understood the cons of addiction.

25 Surprising Facts about Teenage Alcoholism

Knowing some of the basic facts about teenage alcoholism is very important. That’s because it may lead to early intervention and even prevention of alcoholism. This is another reason why people should ask for professional help to understand and familiarize themselves with the correct statistics and data, symptoms for recognizing alcoholism, and treating it.

1. Alcoholic beverages are everyone around us – Whether it’s parties after schools, clubs, bars, restaurants, local shops, teenagers can quickly get their hands on a bottle of alcohol. This is a massive problem as trying alcohol becomes tempting for them. Plus, teens are at such an age when they want to try new things, and they can become prey to this dangerous substance.

2. No warning signs exist that indicate underage drinking consequences – It’s shocking how alcoholism takes over the entire health of the organism. Parents or guardians can’t notice anything different until the consequences start appearing. That’s why early detection is vital.

3. Alcohol addiction affects every age group – Many pieces of research confirm that no age group is more susceptible to drinking alcohol. People – both teens and adults – can become addicted. Although, some say that youth aged from 12 to 20 years are usually more curious about alcohol consumption.

4. Usage of alcohol is different from high school juniors to seniors – Some data points to the statistics that only one percent of young people consume alcohol before starting high school. At the end of high school, alcohol is consumed by 20 to 30% of youths.

5. Young adults prefer alcohol to other addictions – This may be surprising to many. However, the practices back this up and point to the conclusion that adolescents prefer consuming alcohol to smoking cigarettes or consuming drugs such as marijuana.

6. More young people drink alcohol and even binge drink – 19% of youths who are 12 to 20 have said they drink alcohol. A large percent of them even reported they like binge drinking. In fact, 11% of youngsters have binge drunk in the past month.

7. A large portion of 18-year-olds have tried alcohol at least once – The percentage is quite high. It’s 60% of youngsters who are 18.

8. Energy drinks consumption is on the rise among teens – These drinks are becoming increasingly popular among young adults. This is especially the case with younger teens. Energy drinks provide the energy boost from all the stress, but few youngsters completely understand what drinking energy drinks mean. Moreover, energy drinks negatively affect their mental health.

9. Alcohol remains extremely popular among youth – Experts have noted some declining trends regarding addictions in teens, but alcohol remains in the lead as one of the most widely-used addictive substances. Nearly 7 out of 10 high school students have tried alcohol. And make no mistake – this isn’t just a couple of casual drops.

10. A third of high schoolers had drunk alcohol by the time they graduated – For the situation to become even more terrifying, it’s reported that 1 student out of every 9 high school seniors said they consumed alcohol.

11. Family may influence if a teen drinks alcohol – Their environment heavily influences teenagers and kids. That’s why they may tend to accept the habits they see at home. Some data indicates that children whose parents drink alcohol are 5 times more likely to be victims of alcoholism.

12. More and more youngsters like binge drinking – It’s both surprising and frightening that a growing number of youths resolve to binge drinking as an escape from their problems. According to reports, approximately 4.3 million youngsters have binge drunk at least once in the last 30 days.

13. Around 1 million youths have been binge drinking 5 days or more in a single month. This makes the so-called ‘alcohol epidemic’ even more terrifying as adolescents find solace in huge amounts of alcohol. The only thing that results from this is worsening physical and mental health.

14. Watching people drinking alcohol in movies influences alcohol usage in youngsters – Many movies and TV shows have normalized drinking alcohol. When young people see that, they will likely be intrigued to try, too. Individuals who watched actors use alcohol the most are usually twice as likely to binge drink and more than twice as likely to consume alcohol weekly.

15. Alcohol-related issues provoked by movies – This may surprise many. Still, teenagers, who are curious to try new things, are almost twice as likely to have issues related to alcohol after heavily watching alcohol usage in movies and on TV.

16. Minors who consume alcohol can negatively impact their development – Underage drinking is another issue that our society is facing. At their age, the kids’ bodies should develop adequately. This is crucial as they enter puberty. And alcohol can only unsettle the organism’s development.

17. Heavy drinking is linked to the use of weapons – Additionally, 44% of people who drink heavily have also carried a weapon with them.

18. Alcohol worsens mental health – Besides the negative consequences on physical health, teens who drink alcohol have severe mental health issues. Namely, drinking at 16 can cause low self-esteem and increase the risk of depression and anxiety.

19. Alcohol poisoning can be lethal – When a teenager drinks too much alcohol all at once, serious injuries or even worse can occur. Unfortunately, death as a result of alcohol poisoning is common among teens.

20. Brains of teenagers are easily susceptible to addiction – Their brains are vulnerable to all kinds of addictive substances, including nicotine, alcohol, drugs, and more. That’s why many youngsters who come into homes for treating teenage addictions like Key Transitions are on several medications. They could have a psychiatric illness and as a result, have started consuming alcohol as an antidepressant.

21. Low self-esteem and not having confidence can lead to alcohol addiction – In this state, youths can turn to alcohol as a solution when they don’t feel enough or don’t matter.

22. There are numerous symptoms of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning can impact your entire body (dehydration, flushing as well as blackouts), your behavior (violence, not being able to control yourself), your cognitive abilities (feeling of confusion and puzzlement, amnesia, not being able to respond), your gastrointestinal system (vomiting and constant nausea), and more. Depression and anxiety, wild euphoria, indecipherable speech, fast movements of the eye can be frequent in patients, too.

23. Experts can predict which youngsters can become binge drinkers – According to a recent study, it’s possible to find that out based on how their brains work, personalities, traits, past actions, genetics, and more. And these predictions can be highly accurate; the percentage is around 70%.

24. The consequences to minors drinking alcohol are harsh. Some of them may include unintentional and premature death, injuries from driving under the influence or taking on dangerous activities after heavily drinking.

25. Teens who are suffering from alcohol poisoning may not feel the pain – That’s because their bodies are intoxicated with alcohol, and their nerves are numb, so no pain is felt.

Myths Related to Teen Alcoholism

Numerous myths circle the topic of teen alcoholism that people think is true when they aren’t. These myths prevent millennial parents and youngsters from asking for professional help and end this unhealthy type of teen addiction. Below we’ll share and debunk some of the most common myths regarding teen alcoholism.

1. Myth #1: When young adults grow older, they drink less.

This is false. Alcoholism affects every age group. If someone is drinking from a young age, they’re likely to continue doing so as they grow old and may even drink more.

2. Myth #2: Boys are more likely to be addicted to alcohol than girls.

Not true. Girls, as well as boys, can develop an alcohol addiction.

3. Myth #3: Alcohol is only present in more impoverished neighborhoods and communities at risk.