Reasons for Underage Drinking

Reasons of Underage Drinking
	What are the main reasons behind underage consumption of alcohol? What motivates a teenager to drink during social interactions or to drink in solitary? The main reasons that are contributed to underage drinking are for the alcohol: to act as “social lubricant,” to help adhere to social norms, and obtaining the “buzzed” feeling. The use of alcohol to underage drinkers is generally necessary in achievement of these effects.
	In the Journal “Underage ‘Risky’ Drinking” the three main categories of reasoning behind the choice of underage drinking are: social facilitation, individual benefits, and social norms and influences. The method used to ascertain the three categories is the interviewing of 100 individuals with in-depth questions and examining the responses for patterns of similarity among the individuals.  Some of the reasons behind a teenager’s use of alcohol are in order to increase their own abilities in social situations like confidence in speaking to strangers, and making new friends. The second characteristic motivation for the consumption of alcohol is the enjoyable feeling that alcohol gives along with a sense of “escape” from the normal life the user has. The use of alcohol for its intoxicating effects is one of the most desired effects of its use. The third of the categories is the social norms and influences. In American society especially in the college community, consumption of alcohol at social gatherings is widely accepted as the norm thus anyone new to the situation would feel more comfortable with the consumption of alcoholic drinks. This social norm can also enforce strong influence to drink in order to become more accepted amongst the peers they are socializing with.
	In a publication by the NIAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism), it stated a varying amount of reasons of why a teenager would start drinking. The main reasons behind such are that the brain of the young adult is not fully developed until the early 20s and thus affects their reaction to alcohol. Since the brain is still in development, the young adult is more prone to thrill seeking, which can include experimenting with alcohol, and tolerance to the negative physiological effects that alcohol has. Other references reasons would be the positive expectancies of alcohol along with the child growing up in an environment where alcohol is socially acceptable.
	In the article Teen Tipplers, more detailed reasons are discussed in the reasoning behind a teenager’s use of alcohol. “Research has found that lack of empathy for others, easy and frequent lying, insensitivity to punishment, aggression, impulsivity, novelty-seeking, depression, anxiety, low religious commitment and low self-esteem may be precursors to future alcohol use.” (Teen Tipplers, 20) The aforementioned personality traits are ones that can be developed through a subpar growing environment, peer pressure, and home life, which are more general reasons that teenagers begin drinking alcohol. Other mentioned reasons are a teen’s lack of coping skills, insufficient relationship with their parents, and their personal family history. The negative aspect of these traits and situations leads a still maturing teenager to turn to a substance that has been hyped to relieve all problems. A teenager unable to handle a social situation, erratic emotions, depression, or grief is more likely to turn to alcohol for the temporary relief of such. The reasons for underage drinking can be categorized in the consumption for the “buzzed” feeling, the want of conformity from peers, and the use as “social lubricant.” Those categories are the main reasons why teenagers engage in underage drinking, due to the common understanding that alcohol is the most effective way to obtain those effects.
	To further explore the general reasons behind a teenager’s decision to consume alcohol, in depth person to person interviews were conducted with 6 subjects, half male and half female, classified as first semester college freshman. Each individual were asked about their first experience with alcohol and first college experience with alcohol. Each were asked if they drank alone, socially or both, then depending on their response, the later questions were formed. If they drank socially, the questions were shifted toward to the situations which they drank socially and what first encouraged them to drink in a social situation. If they drank alone, the questions were shifted to which events prior to the decision to drink alone expired. Each interviewee was then asked what effects were desired from their consumption of alcohol within the context of it being a social event or solitary use of alcohol. Through the examination of the responses general patterns were deduced as to reasons behind the reasons for drinking alcohol.
	All interviewees expressed that they drink socially while only two expressed that they participated in solitary drinking. All the interviewees expressed that they choose to participate in the consumption of alcohol for: the pleasured feelings brought on by it, the use of it as a “social lubricant,” and the use of it to conform to the social environment around them. The use of these explanations to give reason to their use of alcohol exposes an inner need for the alcohol. Though not all the subjects feel that they needed the alcohol to have fun, they did admit that it became much easier for them to have fun while intoxicated. The use of alcohol can also be explained through the general societal acceptance expressed by the interviewees. Most interviewees had parental figures that allowed them to consume the alcohol under their supervision. This led to a natural acceptance of alcohol as a societal standard for being mature. On the other side of alcohol use; the two that solitarily consume alcohol do so in order to numb the painful feelings that cannot be as quickly dealt with by other means. To them alcohol is the most efficient way in temporarily dealing with a situation of grief or depression that comes with a tragic event such as the loss of a family member.
	The hypothesis of the general college freshman that drinks is correct. The main reasons that are contributed to underage drinking are for the alcohol: to act as “social lubricant,” to help adhere to social norms, and obtaining the “buzzed” feeling. The use of alcohol to underage drinkers is generally necessary in achievement of these effects. The use of alcohol as a “social lubricant” is most common amongst the interviewees. It could be argued that the use of alcohol to remove inhibitions and procrastination in the personal development past shyness and other social hindrances can cause a subtle necessity of alcohol when in a social situation that is characterized with the necessity of lowered inhibitions. Those of the interviewees that drink alone generally do so in order to deal with a negative emotion brought on by a traumatizing event in their life. They acknowledge that drinking is a temporary relief of the emotions that pain them but see is as a more efficient way of handling them than other means. The concept of alcohol as an easy fix to social inhibitions and grief along with the easy accessibility leads to a subconscious necessity of it.
	What motivates teenagers to drink underage? The most common motives are their use of it as: “social lubricant,” means of conformity to social norms and of the pleasurable “buzzed” feeling. The most common use of alcohol is to loosen the inhibitions of the drinker in order to more fully enjoy a social event then they could sober. Within modern society, teenagers are more exposed to the use of alcohol and the concept that its use leads to positive effects. When it seems that everyone else at the party is drinking, one does not want to be left out of the fun.  The consumption of alcohol is known to cause a generally pleasurable sensation which can be referenced as a “buzzed” feeling. This feeling is most effectively obtained through the drinking of alcoholic beverages thus when teenagers seek this mainly positive feeling, alcohol is the easiest choice.  When a teenager decides to drink in solitary, the reasons behind it differ greatly than when one chooses to drink in a social event. Solitary drinkers generally do so in order to numb the pain of strong negative emotions brought on by a traumatizing event. Those that do so find the use of alcohol the most effective technique in dealing with the negative emotions. The use of alcohol in order to attain loosened inhibitions and to lessen the pain of negative emotions can cause a subconscious dependability on alcohol whenever a situation requiring its effects arises.




Works Cited
Coleman, Lester, and Suzanne Cater. Underage 'risky' Drinking: Motivations and Outcomes. York, United Kingdom: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2005. PDF.
Teen Tipplers: America's Underage Drinking Epidemic. Research. New York: National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2002. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED461810. Print.
"Underage Drinking-Why Do Adolescents Drink, What Are the Risks, and How Can Underage Drinking Be Prevented?" NIAAA Publications. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Jan. 2006. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm>.