Drinking Liquor: Teenager's Sense of Belongingness

Teenagers are known to be spontaneous and vulnerable. They make decisions recklessly without further thinking what would be the consequences. At that moment when curiosity kicks in, a teenager will do everything to quench their thirst. However, it is not the curiosity that makes them drive into drinking liquor but the warmth of belongingness they found in their friends. Nature and peer pressure plays a vital role why teenagers embraced the idea of belongingness through drinking liquor that gives a big impact in one’s health.

Failing grades, demerits, and suspensions is not a new scenario for those student who skip classes just to hang out with their circle. They prioritize their vices rather than their academic performances and their productivity. These are students or teenagers who are likely to be pushed to drink an alcohol because they want to fit in to the group so they cannot be left behind or be called by names. Peer pressure is one of the reasons why a teenager seeks to explore the world of drinking. There are also two types of peer pressure, it can be indirectly or directly. Direct pressure is when someone forcefully ask you to do something, while indirect pressure, on the other hand, is when you witness a person doing some action or an activity and you are intrigue or curious to the same thing (Gonzales, 2018). The sense of belongingness through drinking liquor is a bad habit mostly for teenagers who are not in legal age of drinking alcohol because it can affect also not just their health but also their academic performance. This pressure of drinking may cause lack of activeness academically that may lead to failing grades. Drinking affects a life of a teenager or a student if his or her grade starts to reach the rock bottom because drinking alcohol at the young age may affect your memory and it may cause a poor quality of sleep (Smith, 2017).

Young adults who were drinking liquor are influenced by his or her nature. The reason they also drink because of the environment they are exposed to. Sometimes, the parent or the parents who are the influencers of the teens, the way they act, the way they drink, the more the young adults are getting influenced to the same thing because of how they act around them. Social media also serves as a platform why the youth today are patronizing alcohol products. Billions of people are using social media every day especially the youth. Social media allows teenagers or youth to see this influential photos or posts. Studies shows that alcohol-related posts in social media triggers the youth’s craving for alcohol. According to Jason Dorr, a director of Michigan State University researchers, seventy five percent of teens aged 12 to 17 claim that seeing photos in any social media platforms motivates their friends and schoolmates to try alcoholic beverages. (Keller, 2018).

The teenager’s vulnerability to alcohol drinking leads them to numerous diseases. According to the University of the Philippines, 60 percent of Filipino teenagers today drink alcoholic beverages (Tacio, 2018). If adults are already experiencing liver cancer, diabetes, memory lapses and many more on their age, minors are likely to develop these diseases in their adolescent or worst they can feel the effect at early age. Drinking alcoholic beverages has two possible outcomes or effects. It could be a short term effect or a long term effect in one’s health. Vomiting, passing out, trouble concentrating, mood swings are just part of the short term effects. On the other hand, long term effects are more severe than the short term effects that a teenager could possibly experience. Long term effects consist of irregular heartbeats, high blood pressure, and stroke that could possibly lead to death (Monico, 2019).

Nevertheless, exploring things out of your comfort zones is not bad. Just always remember that do not let your curiosity drive you to do bad things not just for yourself but also for others. The people around you can give guidance and advice but the main decision and willingness to quit or avoid drinking alcohol will be coming from you. In the end, it is you, yourself, who will decide whether you would be one of the 60 percent of teenagers who is patronizing alcohol beverages or be one of the people who is healthy and alcohol-free.

References

1. Gonzales, M. (2018). Peer pressure and alcohol. Retrieved from:
2. https://www.drugrehab.com/addiction/alcohol/peer-pressure/.
3. Tacio, H. (2018). Drinking is hazardous to youth’s health. Retrieved from: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2018/02/15/drinking-is-hazardous-to-youths-health/.
4. Monico, N. (2019). Effect of Alcohol. Retrieved from: https://www.alcohol.org/effects/.
5. Keller, A. (2018). Social Media and Alcohol. Retrieved from: https://www.drugrehab.com/addiction/alcohol/influence-of-social-media/
6. Smith, O. (2017). How does drinking affect students?. Retrieved from: https://www.theclassroom.com/drinking-affect-students-12686.html