Why do Teenagers Drink Alcohol - continued

The need for independence in breaking away from their parents is not the only reason that teenagers drink alcohol. Some teenagers have seen their parents grow up drinking alcohol their whole lives. They view it as either a way to be social or as a way to relax. Television and magazines also glamorize alcohol use. Sports celebrities endorse beer ads during television sports events. If a teenager looks up to that sports hero, that teenager might want to emulate them.

Teenagers also drink to fit in with their peer group. While they may have been taught by their parents all the dangers that drinking in youth can cause, it can sometimes be hard to remember those words when a friend is needling them to take "just one drink".

It still goes deeper than that. The teenage years are a rough period for many kids. Sometimes teenagers get depressed, confused, or anxious either about school, a boyfriend or girlfriend, or just fitting in.

A teen's depression may have nothing to do with school at all but rather problems that the teen is experiencing inside the home. With so many marriages ending in divorce, some teens are left to handle their grief on their own. If a parent is going through their own grief, it's easy not to notice that your child has suddenly developed the habit of hitting the bottle.

Children who experience physical or sexual abuse or have experienced the death of a parent or sibling might also try to escape their grief by experimenting with alcohol. This becomes risky because the potential to abuse alcohol rather than just experiment with it is greater when a child is turning to alcohol for escapism. It's no different for an adult, however, a child's body and mind are still developing and the potential for long-term damage is greater.

Studies show a direct link between alcohol advertising and teenage drinking. The more alcohol advertisements that are available to teenagers, even if they aren't aimed specifically at teens, the higher the number of teens that will drink. This is perhaps because marketing executives portray drinking in a sexy way, something that only grown-ups do to be sophisticated. Teenagers by nature are in a hurry to prove themselves as adults, however lack the maturity to fully understand the consequences of drinking.

There are many reasons why teenagers drink. Parents should be open to all possibilities as their teenagers move through high school into adulthood.