Adolescent Drinking: Issues and Research

Research shows that as the number of students using and abusing alcohol increases with age, the non-drinking adolescent feels more pressure to conform to the larger peer subculture rather than maintaining the values of the adult society with which they indentify regarding teenage drinking.

Abstract

Adolescent alcohol use and abuse has received increased attention from the public and from policymakers over the past decade. Newspaper articles and research reports assert that drinking and associated problems have reached epidemic proportions among teenagers. The increased interest in adolescent drinking reflects an increase in community- and hospital-based treatment and prevention programs for teenage drinkers. However, adolescent drinking is not a new phenomenon, and most surveys have indicated that the prevalence of drinking among youth has not increased significantly over the past 10 to 15 years. Many surveys show that the best single predictor of the drinking habits of adolescents is the attitude and behavior of their parents with regard to alcohol use. Research shows that as the number of students using and abusing alcohol increases with age, the non-drinking adolescent feels more pressure to conform to the larger peer subculture rather than maintaining the values of the adult society with which they indentify regarding teenage drinking.