It is not uncommon to see boys and girls spending time with beer and stronger drinks, and ignorance of the harmful effects of alcohol can really lead to severe consequences. In this article, we will give some tips that we hope will help you have a fresh look at the problem of alcohol addiction and find out how you can fight it.
The Most Common Reasons for the First Use of Alcohol or Drugs
Below you will find a few reasons why teens start using alcohol and drugs:
- Man is curious by nature and teenagers especially are. They so want to know the world and experience new sensations (physically and emotionally) that adult stories about the dangers of drugs are not only frightening but sometimes even tempting;
- A need for pleasure. The desire to experience joy, pleasure, delight is inherent in the person. The easiest way is to take a chemical to change your sensations because it is much more difficult to enjoy everyday life. Some people believe that everything should be experienced in life. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoyment, and sometimes, it does not matter at what cost. Desires to receive more and more pleasures are often combined with a lack of internal boundaries (prohibitions). Such people often think, “I can afford anything;”
- A necessity to be accepted by a specific group of people. In adolescence, conformism plays a large role in the behavior of teenagers. A boy or girl is afraid of being isolated from his or her circle of friends and is forced to follow the lead of the majority. So, for example, if leaders who have embarked on the path of alcohol or drug addiction appear in his circle of friends, then, most likely, sooner or later, other members of the company will follow the same path in order not to stand out from the crowd. Adolescents are not always smart enough to understand that this path is wrong and they do not have enough courage to go away. Teens repeat after those who, in their opinion, are role models;
- A protest against parents. It may be a challenge against prohibitions and parental pressure. “I know how to manage my health, my life,” “You can no longer control me;”
- Relieving stress. Low self-esteem is one of the most important risk factors for drug use. In this case, the drug provides protection from a bad mood, pain, and humiliation. Teens with low self-esteem are more prone to fall under the negative influence of peers.
How to Stop?
Your body has not yet matured and consuming alcohol even in small doses will bring irreparable harm to your health and development. Therefore, if you start noticing that you enjoy alcohol quite often, you should think about stopping using it. If you experience problems with this, call a substance abuse hotline number.
One of the best things to avoid using bad substances is to get engage with something else. Doing any kind of sport, for instance, will bring you a double benefit: improving your health and enjoying an interesting hobby.
If you are asked by your friends why you do not want to join an alcohol party, think about your answer in advance. For instance, you can say:
- I do not like the taste of alcohol;
- I do not like how I feel after drinking alcohol;
- I do not want to risk my health;
- I just do not want it.
Good answers, huh? The reason for the refusal should be said confidently to sound truthful and convincing. If you stick to your decision to the end, you will soon see that others will respect your choice. True friends will not force you to do what you do not want. Believe that all this will help you not only defend your opinion but, most importantly, save your health by finding the joy in communication without alcohol.