Alcohol, Drugs, Pregnancy & Teens

The partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation has released a new study that revealed some shocking news about today's teens and their thoughts about alcohol.  Underage drinking has become the norm and teens seem to have access to all the alcohol they wish to consume.  The attitudes of the current generation are much different from those in the past.  Today's teens see no harm in consuming five drinks a day.  68% of teens surveyed said they had consumed alcohol, and a quarter of those said they had their first drink at the age of 12 or even younger.  Top reasons for drinking included "so they won't feel left out" and "because it's fun".  Teen drinking sets up a whole domino effect of problems.  A child who is 13 or 14 may have no concept of the danger it poses, from alcohol poisoning, to vulnerability to rape or molestation, to any number of dangerous positions they may land in, with no ability to fend for themselves.  They don't believe it will happen to them or that their judgment will be impaired. They feel invincible.  They feel they can handle it.

Local teens have mentioned to me that it's easy to obtain alcohol or drugs at school and kids are actually doing those things on campus during the school day.  25% of the teens surveyed in the study stated that they had smoked marijuana in the past month.  This is a trend that is significant because for a decade, there were declines in the use of pot among teens.  Now that has turned around and use is increasing.  Small wonder, when "medical" marijuana co-ops are springing up everywhere.  Kids know it's just a front for sales.  If adults can do it, why can't they?  Ecstacy abuse has also increased dramatically, up 67% according to the study.   Often when I hear from birth mothers planning an adoption, they state that they were "at a party", "at a bar", or "drinking" when they became pregnant.  Sometimes they don't know how it happened or who they were with because there were many people at the party.  Obviously, if they weren't drinking, they would have had better control of the situation and themselves.  Putting themselves in a vulnerable position may result in pregnancy, but could result in much worse.

While parents feel powerless to stop the behavior, teens are seeing little risk in regular use of alcohol and drugs, and are increasingly trying and using them.  They see it as no big deal.  As our nation slips further and further down the list of those leading in education and technology, the next generation is medicating themselves into apathy.  So for those who are worried about the current job situation -- consider going into alcohol and drug counseling and rehab services.  We're going to need you.  Just ask Charlie Sheen.