Addressing teenage alcohol use through growth, competence, and values

Teenagers: Alcohol and Drunkenness

Discuss any insights or experience you have faced with Drinking Alcohol/drunkenness.

The challenges today in living a moral life are indeed formidable. There are many obstacles and difficulties that individual teenagers face and one of those obstacles has to do with the consumption of alcohol. Many experts on child develop comment on the fact that teenagers are drinking at younger and younger ages and that there is more of a pressure to drink large quantities of alcohol. So much of this can revolve negatively on the values in place with a given teen and their peer group. If certain teenagers value rowdiness and aberrant behavior, then consuming alcohol and acting drunk and belligerent can be seen as a sign of "coolness."

How could the five aspects offer help and direction:

Open to Growth

Part of teenage drinking and drunkenness is about experimentation. Most teenagers are going to drink at some point, then engage in total abstinence. In order to raise teenagers who behave safely and who respect themselves, it's probably not wise to take a zero-tolerance attitude toward teenage drinking. In fact, a zero-tolerance posture has been argued to offer a tremendous disservice to teenagers. Some adults feel differently about this, but at best, this stance can only delay teenage drinking. For most teenagers, being exposed to a zero-tolerance policy towards alcohol will cause them to do it regardless. Many child development experts argue that children and teenagers alike learn through experience, even if they engage in over indulgence. Being open to growth means that one is open to youths making mistakes and the powerful learning experiences that those mistakes can foster. Teenagers learn about their own personal boundaries through such mistakes; these experiences help teenagers determine what they want to do and with whom, and whether or not they want to do it again; the revelations found in these experiences can help them along the way, acting as a guide. Fundamentally, the whole experience invites growth.

3. Religious

Having a strong religious presence in one's life can also act as a guidepost when it comes to consuming alcohol and comparable temptations. Religion can help by providing teenagers with a sense of the "bigger picture." Religious values can provide teenagers with a strong moral compass, and a sense of something greater than themselves. Even if teenagers aren't overtly religious and don't go to church, religion can still act as a beacon for them during some of the more formidable challenges and pressures of drinking, by offering an overall guidepost and guidelines for living. Religious organizations and community groups can also provide a sense of support, so that navigating some of the challenges of drinking can be done with greater ease.

4. Loving

The most loving plan that I can come up with regarding alcohol and drunkenness is one which recognizes that everyone is human and everyone makes mistakes -- and that hopefully young people will learn from those mistakes. This is not to absolve people of responsibility. There is still a responsibility present of adults to provide as much guidance, expectations and help to teenagers along the way as possible. There is still a responsibility of teenagers to make informed decisions and to not be careless. But the most loving way to consider all of this is to recognize the human quality in everyone and to realize that everyone makes mistakes.

5. Committed to Doing Justice

Being committed to doing justice means articulating one's moral values and being able to articulate them to oneself, along with being able to respect and uphold them. This is the living process of doing justice to oneself. Furthermore, respecting the laws and values of society is also important.

What choices can you take regarding drinking alcohol/drunkenness that will lead you to be the best version of yourself as God created you to be?

I can accomplish this by setting my own personal boundaries and respecting them consistently. This will help me to feel like I'm respecting myself. Furthermore, not engaging in any behaviors which makes me feel uncomfortable will also help accomplish that.

Come up with a plan of action for dealing with drinking alcohol/drunkenness in the future. (I.e. If faced with a similar challenge/issue in the future, what actions will you take and how can Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience help you in your decision-making process?)

In the future, I would make sure that there was always a set designated driver in place for all parties. Then I would have a phone number on hand in my phone of someone I could ask for advice that I trusted. And next time, I would give myself more overt permission to listen to my gut. Whenever I don't feel comfortable doing something, I need to give myself immediate permission not to do it, and to not feel compelled to provide a reason for it.