By definition, a drug is “Any substance which when absorbed into a living organism may modify one or more of its functions.” In reality any substance that by its chemical nature alters structure or function in the living organism is a drug. Alcohol can affect all human organs including the brain, heart, stomach and liver as well as other parts of the body. Alcohol is not an illegal substance, nor is it a prescription drug, but it does carry all of the risks of addiction and illness that street drugs do. While under the influence of alcohol, some behaviors can lead to serious threats of ones life and health.
In the twelve to seventeen age group it is believed that 7.2 million drank at least once in the past year. Regular use, considered to be once a month or more, covers 2.7 million adolescents. It used to be that boys were a lot more likely to drink than the girls, but that is no longer true. Older friends, and even some adults (including some parents), see no harm in underage drinking. They buy alcohol with no regard to breaking the law and with full knowledge that it will be consumed by underage adolescents.
There is a considerable number of teens who drink 5 or more times in a month, and they are having 5 or more drinks at a time. Quite often the drinking is done on the weekends and as such it may not be having a negative impact on school. It has become common practice for teens to spend the night at each others houses. So common, in fact, most parents rarely check to see if the other parents are aware that this is to be happening. In reality, their teen may have told them that they were spending the night with someone else, thus allowing a group to gather for a party. Some parents allow drinking parties at their homes because they feel they can supervise. Other parents leave teens alone while going out of town, thus making that house an unsupervised party spot. Since most teens have a cell phone and can be reached by their parents, a false sense of security may exist for the parents. Don’t be afraid to ask your teens questions about where they will be and who they will be with. Call the parents if it is to be an overnight. Check to make sure they are where they tell you they will be. You not only have that right as a parent, you have that responsibility.
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I have to wonder about a parent who allows a drinking party at their home so they watch over the participants. Did they check with the parents of all the kids to see if they were OK with it? I'll bet not.
ReplyDeleteI never considered alcohol as a drug but after reading this article I can surely see why it should be. Thanks for explaining.
ReplyDeleteMy liver agrees. I didn't know my drinking was hurting me like that. I knew it was a problem, I was missing work, frequently. When I started getting sick and went to the doctor, I was shocked to find out I had cirrhosis of the liver. I got the help I needed and I've been sober for nearly a year by taking it 1 day at a time.
ReplyDeleteI beginning to see that a lot of things that are not illegal substances are being used and abused and becoming increasingly dangerous.
ReplyDeleteI would have argued this with you at one point, but I know a preteen who died from alcohol poisoning. Both of his parents were daily drinkers and they didn't even notice that he was drinking too. It was very sad, but it wasn't enough to stop their drinking.
ReplyDeleteI could have gotten into some serious trouble with my wine drinking. I started out with 1 after work. Then added 1 with supper. Then it got to be another while I cleaned up the kitchen. From there, I took the rest of the bottle to the living room. There were some nights I opened a second bottle. I got up one morning and found my 8 year old son had finished over half a bottle that I had left out the night before. It made me think about the example I was setting and the danger I had put my son in. I haven't had a drink in several months. I miss it, but I don't think I'll go back.
ReplyDeleteI'm always amazed at people who drink and then think they are capable of getting behind the wheel. I was out with a friend a couple of years ago and we had several drinks. I called a cab and offered to share it with him. He didn't want to leave his motorcycle there so he drove it home. It had started to rain and he lost control of it and when it went down his leg was under it. The impace snapped the bones and the slide ripped his leg off above the knee. He's lucky someone was behind him and called for help right away or he would have bled to death.
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