What do you think are the factors that influence underage drinking?!
What do you think are the factors that influence underage drinking?
Answers: 1. Peere pressure if you don't do it you won't be "cool"
2. The fact that it is forbiden by law makes it "exciting"
3. Massive media covereage making drinking associated with fun. (Sports, Music, Entertainment etc.).
4. Marketers trying to establish brand loyalty in kids BEFORE they are even old enough. They want brand loyalty the very DAY a person turns 21.
5. Marketing "sweet" drinks that cater to kids taste buds witness: Mikes Hard Lemonade, Wine Coolers, Those gross Malt Beverage things (whatever they are called lol)
6. Poor parenting
7. Parents that don't care or are drunk themselves all of the time. Monkey see monkey do. lol
8. Rich celebrities that drink and because they are rich don't really suffer the consequences for bad behavior. Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan etc.
9. Glofication of drinking/getting drunk on rap and other records. "Everyone one at the Club getting tipsy." lol
10. Americas refusal to educate people properly about the use of alcohol. A glass of wine or beer with dinner is fine and can and should be enjoyed. Every had a glass of red wine with a good steak? Yum! Getting drunk off your azz and driving, causing trouble, getting into fights etc. is NOT ok!
11. Genetic pre disposition to alcoholism from birth. Depression and stress at school and at home promote underage drinking. The problem is being young and having the idea that a person can only be accepted "by going along" with the status quo. I have never been excited about how can I please the "populace." I am too brilliant as are you and any other young folk, who "want to satisfy" the folk out there, that "don't have a clue." If you know anyone who is interested in drinking for the heck of it, tell them that "this is NOT the way to go." Peace, Love and God Bless. horrible parents. mental illness. addiction rate rising. being young and trying to be mature. people just trying to have a good time It is cool.
It is forbidden.
It is a new experience. wanting to grow up, wanting to be accepted by certain people, trying to act like certain people, peer pressure, and some of the time, they just do it because they want to know what it's like. siblings drinking, adults they look up to drinking, peer pressure, celebrities drinking, friends, etc the temptation of the unknown
peer pressure
the euphoric feeling
beer muscles
status peer pressure and depression young children have less control over themselves if they have drank. Some children might even carry guns to school. The need to fit in, depression, peer pressure. Depression is pretty high in teens and drinking helps them feel more in control. Parents
Media
Friends [Peer Pressure]
Stress/Depression/Grief
Failure
.. peer pressure, peer pressure and then peer pressure. After that, commercialization of the product through the media, and then peer pressure. It is all about choices, listen to your own, choose wisely and ignore the peer pressure Number 1 is peer pressure.
Young ppl wanna act all grown up and they think they are 'cool' if they drink, so they do, then the friends are 'losers' if they don't so they start drinking to avoid slagging. Sad but true i think I think a lot of it is peer pressure. Proving that you are an adult. Drinking more than your friends. The easy availability to minors of alcohol. Peer pressure, a feeling of "fitting in", bad influences in their lives. Peer pressure. The need to fit in. The need to be cool. The need to be needed.
That's about the sum of it, in my opinion. I drank my first liquor at 16, tequilla, at the pressure of my peers and the threat that they'd ostracize me if I didn't drink with them. I got drunk for the first time at age 18, and the worst on my 19th birthday, and after that, I only drank socially, though with a strict limit of 2 glasses. I was older then, so they couldn't boss me around.
It's really the fear of being ostracized, and the pressure as well, of 'acting like an adult'. So in my opinion, I guess it's the behavior of adults which is the root cause of underage drinking. Trying to fit in, peer pressure, depression.
Not to mention, half the the allure is the fact that it's illegal. I think trying to fit in and the whole illegal factor are the biggest. I think that in the US, mystique plays a big part in it...European countries don't have the underage drinking issues like we have here. When you are practically raised on wine with dinner and such, and it's not such a taboo, it loses its mystery. Plus people learn respect for moderation. Here, it's such a no-no, that it's almost irresistible...leading to over consumption and general idiot-ness!
So then peer pressure comes into play - that's part of the "taboo"...it's a slippery slope. Peer pressure, mainly. There is a LOT of pressure TO drink, to "fit in" better, to be "cool", while there is very little NOT to drink. The thing is, in a lot of places, you can vote and fight for your country, but drinking is still illegal. I'm all for making the age for each the same... 1) Lack of Parental Guidance
2) Peer Pressure ( I Dare You ) Cause its fun...really with proper guidance a kid drinkin ain't bad...my parents let me drink at 15 around the house... By far the biggest factor in the US is the lack of education about how to drink in moderation. Kids that get some booze (usually the hard liquor since it's easier to notice a 6 pack is missing than a bottle of vodka from the cabinet) have no idea how much they can drink without getting drunk, puking or getting into the hospital.
If you look at almost all of Europe and see that the parents usually teach their kids about drinking, even giving them a glass of wine with meals or a beer from ages of 13 up, they really do grow up understanding their limits. American kids don't, and when they get their hands on anything, they just get wasted.
Not that getting wasted is a bad thing, if done in the right conditions. Mainly, in your home where you don't have to drive. Preferably with friends, who are sleeping over.
This has nothing to do with the drinking age of 21 versus 18 debate. You simply don't see parents telling their kids about alcohol. If they tell them anything, it's "Don't ever ever drink," which is what my parents said. I didn't drink until I was 21, but then quickly learned my limits (I have never blacked out or puked). well since i am an underaged drinker i will be happy to tell ya that its not because of depression or peer pressure or any of that other **** like stress and family problems. i drink for the sole purpose that i simply enjoy it and just want to have a good time. me and my friends along with basically the rest of the world enjoy the feeeling of being buzzed and drunk. If anything i would say the main reason we drink would be boredom rather than anything else. me and my friends always have a good time and a good story after a night of drinkin. we dont rely on drinkin and dont need to do it every day or every weekend at that. but when the opportunity presents itself you better believe were doin the dam thing jsut because life is too short and you gotta enjoy yourself Everyone else drinking?
Trying to be "cool"
In the US, I think a lot of kids only binge drink and have never had alcohol in moderation like wine w dinner.
But people tend to overlook the fact that there are a ton of alcoholics in Europe, especially the U.K. and Italy. The main factor is that most teenagers and young adults throughout human history have *always* drank alcoholic beverages to some extent or other. It tastes good, it feels good, and acts as a social lubricant. It's just that the act of drinking below 21 years of age wasn't criminalized by the government until very recently. In fact, there were NO minimum drinking age laws anywhere in the world until the later half of the 20th century, and many countries outside the U.S. still either have very low drinking age limits (such as 16 or even 12) or none at all. In modern times, American society has been completely changing the concept of adulthood and pushing it further and further up in years. Up until 150 years ago, once you were about 12 years old you had all the responsibilities and privileges of an adult. Nowadays, you're not legally an adult until you're 18, and even then there are some things you can't do (such as drinking). If we keep going at this rate, the paternalistic nanny state society we're living in soon won't let us run our own lives until we hit retirement age. being one of the maybe 3 underage kids answering the question, its purely for fun. its a good feeling and it makes the night (or day) that much better. its also a great way to get to know people. all that peer pressure and depression stuff is basically bs. if kids do drink because of these things, they drink by themselves or with their emo friends so please dont put all stereotype all under-agers in that group