Adolescent alcoholism - why and what to do?

Teenage alcoholism is a very unpleasant and dangerous, but unfortunately real phenomenon. And we cannot turn a blind eye to it. According to statistics, more than 75% of eighth-graders drink alcohol to some extent or have tried it, and by the 11th grade this figure increases to almost 100%. Scary numbers. What are the causes of teenage alcoholism and how to combat a child's addiction to alcohol?

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How many school children worship Bacchus?

These figures represent research conducted by Moscow sociologists. Surveys showed that 70% of sixth-graders have tried alcoholic beverages and even bought them themselves. This "consumer basket" included beer, champagne, wine and vodka. A complete gentleman's set. Among eighth-graders, the number of teenagers who have tried alcohol increases to 75%, of which more than 11% are already in the risk group of those who develop a tendency toward alcoholism.

Among 11th graders, the number of those who try alcohol from time to time is already almost 100%. Moreover, 45% of these boys and girls periodically, once a month, indulge in alcohol, up to 21% of children drink alcoholic beverages 2 times a month, and almost 30% of 11th graders drink alcohol at least once a week. The last two figures are more than dangerous: drinking alcohol more than twice a week in adolescence causes the risk of developing alcoholism.

Teenage Alcoholism: Statistics

The figures from numerous studies conducted with schoolchildren in different years indicate that teenage alcoholism has a tendency to increase rather than decrease. So, important facts about teenage alcoholism.

In more than 60% of cases, it is the parents who teach children to drink alcohol. This happens starting at the age of 10.

Boys in early adolescence (10-13 years) begin to try alcohol 4 times more often than girls. Boys become accustomed to alcoholic beverages faster than girls. The peak of girls' addiction to alcoholic beverages occurs at 15 years, while for boys this age is much younger - starting at 13 years.

More than 76% of schoolchildren who drink alcohol do not learn the material well, up to a quarter of them study averagely and only slightly more than 1% of children study above average. But these indicators of good study among alcohol addicts decrease with age and depend on the degree of passion for alcohol.

About half of teenagers who like to indulge in alcohol either read very little or do not read at all. We are not talking about educational material, but about fiction – at least some books.

Children who often drink alcohol come from families where more than 6% of parents drink alcohol, and in 60% of families only the father is into alcohol. Among teenagers who drink alcohol, there is not a single family where the parents completely deny alcohol.

Among teenagers who drink alcohol, more than 50% of children do not receive enough attention from their parents and are left to their own devices. Up to 52% of such families are characterized by tension in the relationship between parents, constant quarrels and fights.

The education of the parents of those teenagers who drink alcohol does not reach a level higher than vocational education.

The percentage of single-parent families or remarriage among parents of teenagers prone to alcohol reaches 50%. Sociologists note that in those families where children are raised by only one parent or a step-parent, the tendency to alcoholism in teenagers is observed 3 times more often.

Very often, in children whose father is an alcoholic, the child also becomes an alcoholic. There are 4 times more such children than in families where the father does not drink. True, there is also the opposite situation: a child from a drinking family categorically does not accept alcohol throughout his life. But such situations are less common.

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Why do teenagers drink alcohol?

The reasons why teenagers drink alcohol, and then do it more and more often, are mainly psychological. Children who are doing well rarely get carried away with alcohol. They simply have no time – they are busy. In addition, successful children take on more and more responsibilities and find new hobbies.

Children who have low self-esteem or who come from unsuccessful, single-parent families suffer from alcohol addiction much more often than children from happy families.

The reasons for trying alcohol for the first time are simple. At primary school age (from 10 years old), children try alcohol for the first time at family celebrations. At an older age, schoolchildren try alcohol for the first time mainly in the company of their peers. In rare cases, teenagers try alcohol on their own, "out of interest". It should be noted that children try alcohol for the first time (and later) only in the company of someone. It is not interesting to be alone.

A very important and widespread reason for teenage alcoholism is TV advertising. "Drinking is fashionable, pleasant and respectable" - says the advertising of expensive cognac or, more often, cheap beer. And children buy into this advertising, because in adolescence the need for recognition of one's own "I" increases more than ever - to be fashionable and cool, to be no worse than others by drinking alcohol with friends.

Another reason why teenagers drink alcohol is because "everyone drinks." If they drink in the family, and it's fun. If they drink with friends, and it's also fun, then I'll drink too.

Low prices for alcoholic drinks, particularly beer, which is the beginning of a passion for alcohol, are another reason for teenage alcoholism. Cocktails in a nightclub, which are an essential attribute of clubbing, are also attractive to teenagers. In addition, in many clubs, a teenager does not have the right to stay at the disco unless he buys at least one cocktail. This forms a habit.

Even if the cocktail is low-alcohol, addiction to alcohol will definitely happen. A prestigious cocktail – a combination of natural juice with natural vodka or gin, or diluted whiskey – does not contribute to a sober lifestyle at all. Two years of such low-alcohol cocktails about once a week or two – and the teenager can no longer live without such doping, during this period an addiction to alcohol is formed.

Family Causes of Teen Alcoholism

Hereditary causes of teenage alcoholism are very common. A child whose parents drank before birth has a 3 times higher risk of becoming an alcoholic in adolescence than children of healthy parents. A tendency to alcoholism can be inherited.

Family reasons for teenagers' constant alcohol consumption may include:

• Bad family situation (conflict between father and mother)
• Single-parent family
• Overprotective parents
• Violence between parents towards each other and towards the child
• Excessive democracy in relation to the child, lack of any control on the part of mom and dad, permissiveness
• Involvement of children in drunkenness by parents, which is not prosecuted by law

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Important facts about the properties of alcohol

The daily dose of alcohol that does not pose a danger to the life of an adult is up to 60 grams of pure alcohol, which is equal to up to 150 grams of 45% vodka. If you drink more, it causes addiction and over time - after 1.5-2 years - irreversible changes in the body, disruption of most of its systems.

As for teenagers, this dose is lethal for them, and addiction occurs much earlier than in adults – in just a few months.

A bad sign is when a teenager enjoys drinking alcoholic beverages. Even if it concerns beer. Research shows that beer alcohol addiction develops much faster in teenagers than from strong drinks. In addition, beer causes much more addiction in girls than in boys, and this addiction develops much faster.

How does a teenager's life change after becoming addicted to alcohol?

When drinking alcohol, teenagers risk, first of all, suppression of reproductive functions. Against the background of alcoholism, impotence often develops in young men and the quality of sperm decreases - it becomes much less active. But in men, reproductive function can be restored six months after stopping drinking alcoholic beverages, and in girls, the destroyed reproductive system is not restored. This often threatens infertility and impaired libido.

When a teenager drinks alcohol frequently, he begins to take his doses for granted. To get used to it, a teenager only needs to drink beer once or twice a week. If the teenager does not stop drinking for two or three months, narcologists classify such frequency as systematic alcohol abuse.

Parents need to know that teenagers who drink alcohol for more than 2-3 months get used to it much faster than adults. Addiction can be caused by even a small dose, in the parents' opinion: up to 100 grams of vodka. The younger the child who tried alcohol, the faster he gets used to it. At the same time, the teenager's resistance to intoxication becomes higher and higher, he brags to his friends that "alcohol doesn't affect him at all and he can drink as much as he wants." Meanwhile, this is far from true. Regardless of whether the teenager gets drunk or not, alcohol still does its dirty work, destroying the body gradually, imperceptibly.

Addiction to alcohol in adolescents is divided into categories (they are distinguished by narcologists)

1. Experimental drinking (sometimes a teenager tries alcohol out of curiosity)
2. Occasional drinking (the teenager occasionally indulges in alcohol)
3. Systematic drinking of alcohol (at least once a week for 2-3 months)

If a teenager is used to alcohol, it depresses his psyche - the joy after drinking alcohol is replaced by depressive states. Children who sometimes or constantly drink alcohol are no longer as socially active as their non-drinking peers, they are more vulnerable and less active than before. Kindness alternates with increased aggressiveness and rudeness, especially towards loved ones, family members. A teenager can become withdrawn, embittered, rude. It is typical for him to be sentimental with alcohol addiction, to cry at the sight of a crippled dog, but at the same time to mercilessly beat a peer.

Another characteristic feature of teenagers prone to alcoholism is fun and ease only among their own kind. Such children can surprisingly unite in groups and visit those alcoholic children who have been hospitalized for compulsory treatment, support them and draw them back into their circle. Also, these children, withdrawn from others, easily find a common language with adults who abuse alcohol. That is, with those whom they consider their own.

How to treat childhood alcoholism?

If parents missed the moment and the child became an alcoholic, it is necessary to treat him long and patiently. It is not easy, parents may need a lot of time and effort. But first of all, it is necessary to diagnose this disease and give the child the opportunity to understand that this is a disease, and not "an activity that he can quit at any moment."

Childhood alcoholism is dangerous precisely because addiction occurs very quickly. Therefore, in the treatment of teenage alcoholism, it is necessary to work in two directions: psychology and drug treatment. When fighting teenage alcoholism, it is very important to be treated in a hospital, and not at home, because at home, parents will not be able to take into account all the nuances and control the teenager properly. Medicinal infusions and herbal teas can be used; these are less safe methods of treatment than pills and injections. But at the same time, doctors take into account the stage of development of teenage alcoholism: the more addiction, the more serious methods are used to save the child from the embrace of the green serpent.

After treatment, you need to wait for a period of remission. During this time, the child needs to be occupied with something useful: a favorite hobby, a sport that the teenager likes (do not force him/her!), trips with parents to interesting places. Teenage alcoholism can be defeated, the main thing is to diagnose it in time and not give up.