Adolescents and Alcohol
... was alive. My husband wanted to be Daniel’s mentor. He felt a connection with him the day he went on that call. Daniel got into a lot of trouble with the police. He stole cars, was drinking and driving, he also stole cigarettes, and food. When Daniel was around my husband he was a different kid. As soon as he went back to his foster parents he started binge drinking daily. Finally the state decided to put Daniel in a rehab program. My husband would still see him daily. The point I am trying to make with this story is that children need a lot of love. Daniel was lacking that love his whole life. So he turned to alcohol as a solution. But it only made his life worse. He was a good child. He just needed the guidance and acceptance of a positive role model. In 1996, nearly 182,000 adolescents or young adults under age 20 received treatment for substance abuse in the United States. Of those, 21 percent received treatment for alcohol abuse or dependence, and approximately another 34 percent received treatment for alcohol and secondary drug dependence. Researchers and treatment professionals have found it useful to view adolescent substance use as occurring on a continuum that extends from experimentation through problem use to disorders of abuse and dependence. Adolescent substance use occurs with the severity of involvement with alcohol or other substances. Not all adolescents who use alcohol are, or will become, dependent. Adolescent alcohol use often stems from different causes than for adults. In treatment, adolescents must be approached differently from adults because of developmental issues, differences in values and belief systems, environmental considerations such as strong peer influences, and educational requirements. Treatment approaches should also account for age, gender, ethnicity, cultural background, family structure, cognitive and social development, and readiness for change. Younger adolescents have different developmental needs than older adolescents, and treatment approaches should be developed appropriately for different age groups. Treatment should involve family members because family history may play a role in the origins of the problem and successful treatment cannot take place in isolation. Treatment providers should have specific training in the principles of adolescent development and treatment programs should avoid mixing adult clients with adolescent clients. Treatment options can vary. Brief interventions, which involve screening, anticipatory guidance, and psycho educational interventions, is primarily appropriate for adolescents in the low-to-middle range of the severity continuum. Brief interventions may also occur in primary care settings as part of a routine medical exam. Variations of brief interventions have been found effective for helping alcohol-abusing adults, but research is needed to evaluate its effectiveness with adolescents. Self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, and Alateen are valuable adjuncts to outpatient services and residential programs for teenagers during the recovery process, both during and after primary treatment. Self-help groups offer positive role models, new friends who are learning to enjoy life free from substance use, people celebrating sober living, and a place to learn how to cope with stress and other relapse triggers. Many adolescents involved with these 12-step programs have a fellow member serve as a sponsor to provide guidance and help in times of crisis or when the urge to return to drinking becomes overwhelming. Treatment programs can also include family therapy to bring about positive changes in the way family members relate to each other by examining the underlying causes of dysfunctional interactions. There seems to be no determinant as to who abuses alcohol among adolescents. A study done in the United States, France and Israel showed that the use of alcohol was determined by two factors: peers and parents. In Israel, the important factor for the adolescent was how much the parent used alcohol. In the United States and France, the biggest factor determining alco...