Alcohol abuse is a growing problem among teens today. Alcohol kills 6 ½ times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined. Traffic crashes are the single greatest cause of death for people ages 6-33. About 45% of these fatalities were alcohol related. Most teens who drink alcohol received it from family and friends. Alcohol also persuades teens to abuse other drugs. A study found that youth who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine and other drugs than those who don’t. Alcohol consumption among teens is on the rise and; so what is being done about it?

To prevent teens from abusing alcohol and creating a dependency, parents are encouraged to talk to their child more often about the consequences of alcohol abuse. A study shows that teens whose parents talk to them on a regular basis about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse are 42% less likely to abuse them that teens whose parents don’t. Parental supervision and support are crucial in the prevention of alcohol abuse. Communities usually have programs to prevent teens from abusing drugs and alcohol. After school activities, sports, and church programs are a good way to keep teens busy and prevent them from abusing drugs and alcohol.

Once someone has been diagnosed with an alcohol addiction/dependency, it must be treated. Medications, along with interventions are effective to treat patients with an alcohol dependency. Naltrexone is a form of medication that specifically treats alcohol dependent patients. Before someone seeking treatment can actually be treated, that person must detoxify, or remove the toxic substances from their body. Then the treatment can begin. There are a number of treatment options available for those with a substance dependency. The easiest option would be hospitalization. However, if it doesn’t work the next option would be an outpatient treatment method, such as a clinic or rehab center. To provide more support, there are day treatment facilities that allow you to continue your regular life while providing extra support. When all else fails, residential treatment centers are the final resort. They remove the patient from their home setting into a controlled, supervised environment where they can be fully monitored.

Alcohol abuse should be taken very seriously. It can cause dependency and is related to the most deaths among teens. If you have a child, remember to discuss with them the dangers of alcohol abuse. After all, no one wants to see more teens die because of something so avoidable.