Recent alcohol abuse statistics show that alcohol abuse among teenagers is increasing in the United States. What are some of the reasons for this? Numerous alcohol dependency consultants emphasize the point that wine, beer, and liquor advertisements brought into being by the media are a primary reason for the increase in teen alcohol abuse.

Other alcoholism experts assert that the increase in teenage alcohol abuse is due to the acceptability and accessibility of alcohol in our society.

Still other alcoholism specialists argue that quite a few of our teens involve themselves in risky drinking because of the increased disquiet that they live through.

From a slightly different perspective, since both parents in quite a few families work full or part-time, the lack of parental supervision unquestionably has to play a fundamental role in the expansion of youth alcohol abuse. And last of all, a variety of alcohol abuse experts stress the point that the escalation of teenage alcohol abuse is due, in some measure, to our “anything goes” society.

Alcohol Abuse and Coping Skills

One aspect of teen alcohol abuse that seems to be lacking in the substance abuse research literature, in contrast, is the paucity of educational courses that teach students how to further develop their coping skills so that their dangerous drinking behavior is significantly reduced or done away with.

More explicitly, science has illustrated the fact that there is an indirect relationship between poor coping skills and hazardous drinking. In effect, this means that the worse the coping skills, the greater the incidence of alcohol abuse. To the extent that this is a valid affirmation, why isn’t coping skills instruction a key part of the educational curriculum in all of our high schools, junior high schools, and elementary schools?

A Society That Puts Emphasis On Adolescent Coping Skills

Let us create a scenario for for the purpose of illumination. Let us imagine a society in which all people are taught how to develop excellent coping skills all the way from kindergarten up to and including the twelfth grade.

In such a society, when life gets complicated, individuals who are “coping skills masters” will be able to respond in a healthier and more productive manner, contrary to others who fail to put their coping skills into operation.

Stated another way, students who exhibit good coping skills will be more able to think clearly and demonstrate top quality decision making as opposed to teenagers who, because they were unsuccessful in their attempts to learn top quality coping skills, are attracted to the “quick fix” of hazardous drinking.

What would happen in the above “ideal” society, additionally, if teens not only obtained first class coping skills education but also received an excellent education that accentuated the short term and long term negative results associated with drug abuse and alcohol abuse? Such an emphasis on drug and alcohol abuse facts, along with more advanced coping skills instruction, it is asserted, would help students keep away from the obvious charm interlinked with teenage drinking and, for that reason, would radically decrease the alcohol abuse displayed by teens in our country.

Youth Hazardous Drinking: Conclusion

There are indubitably many defensible reasons why so many of our adolescents drink in a risky manner. Such a tricky problem demands an extensive and relevant preventative and educational response by our politicians, parents, educators, and students so that our adolescents can learn how to cope with life’s problems in a more fruitful and accountable manner rather than gravitating to hazardous drinking behavior to solve their difficulties.