Alcohol, youth and prohibitions

If you ask doctors about the effects of alcohol, an internist will tell you that one apperitive can be  very beneficial to the digestive organs, a cardiologist will recommend a glass of red wine a day, but a psychiatrist will be strongly against drinking alcohol, even in the smallest quantities. Why? Because the psychiatrist is faced everyday to the tragic consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.

There is no need to write about the harmful effects of excessive drinking, especially when it comes to young people, it is common knowledge, and facts known to all parents. That is why parents forbid alcohol to their children. Unfortunately, this does not mean that their teen protected against a possible danger of getting drunk.

Young people drink for many reasons:

- To celebrate special events (the results of exams, birthdays, graduation, etc.)..

- In order to feel accepted.

- To reduce stress (stress of exams, due to various pressures and girls, friends, etc.)..

- To overcome the grief, frustration, rejection and low self-esteem.

Before I started writing this article I read many articles on the prevention of drinking and most of them based on prohibitions. Such as:

"Ban drinking alcohol!"

"Restrict your teen to attend parties where alcohol is served" - Which means that he or she should be prevented from going anywhere, because alcohol is served at all parties..

Some are more liberal and propose:

"Wait your child in front of the place where the party is taking place, when he/she knows that you will wait, he/she will refrain from alcohol"

Imagine what a teenager, who wants to be a grown up,  would feel when the friends see his mom and dad waiting outside.

Prohibition is always an introduction to the conflict, and conflict with parents increases the risk of any form of addiction.

In our culture it is customary that all the important events are celebrated with lots of alcohol. It is just an illusion that the ban will stop your teen from drinking at least one drink. One should discuss and make a difference between the having a drink and getting drunk. One drink can contribute to a better relaxation and partying and getting drunk will definitely ruin any fun.

In every suitable opportunity, parents should point out that a drunken man looks really stupid. One may have an impression that drinking is cool, but the alcohol changes the nervous system and that can make people do stupid or embarrassing things, such as vomiting or urinating on themselves, talking nonsense, giving their friends a reason to make fun of them.

The most important thing is that a parent is a positive example for his child always and in every occasion.

All other reasons (the need for acceptance, stress reduction, overcoming discontent) are eliminated by the educational process. Drinking problems of young man is not an isolated problem and can not be solved by prohibition. Alcohol abuse is just a visible manifestation of hidden problems of a young man and our failures in the educational process.

Of course, parents should make it clear that getting drunk is unacceptable and should try to find out, together with their child, possible reasons for getting drunk and try to eliminate them. This is not an easy process, but it is the only one works.

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