1. Underage Drinking

Adolescents drink for many reasons, but the most common is due to peer pressure. The idea that if one does not participate in a particular social activity, they will be left out fuels a lot of bad decisions. Personally I do not participate in underage drinking, but I know a few close friends who have had their fair share of peer influence that led them to believe drinking would make it easier to fit into specific crowds. Wanting to belong to one of the popular groups in school, they decided to drink. The practice went on for a while until they realized they were becoming self-destructive.

2. Quarantine Drinking

The availability of alcohol at home can lead adolescents to drink. Sometimes, people adopt a behavior due to the social atmosphere in the household. For instance, before the pandemic, there were often small gatherings in our house. The gatherings would often involve drinking meaning there was a constant supply in the house. Since I knew where the alcohol was I it was up to me to decide to practice self-control. After seeing what was happening to my friends, the mystery and excitement of drinking was gone. I was able to stop myself from drinking even at home because I did not want to begin going down the wrong path.

3. Stress Relief

Sometimes adolescents drink as a way to release stress. There is usually so much change going on in an adolescent's life and little time to adjust. It can become very stressful to be an adolescent making one want to seek a way to let go of the inhibition. Previously, I would watch videos of the funny things people did when they were drunk. The fun videos would make me laugh and wonder if drinking would reduce stress. At the moment, the activities would feel thrilling, and life would feel stress-free. The downside is the next day would feel more stressful.

4. Rebellion in Adolescents

Adolescents can drink as an act of rebellion. As an adolescent, many people are telling you what to do and what path to follow. It is as though their life becomes a communal life with people constantly judging their actions. People who have opinions about the life of an adolescent should live set standards of expectation. The people may have good intentions, but if they are not listening to the adolescent's wishes, it will cause them to want to act out. For instance, if a parent makes a vital decision for their adolescent child and forces it upon them, the adolescent can act out by drinking.

5. Negative Impacts

Drinking has many side effects on the individual, most prominently, the deterioration in physical and social wellbeing. High amounts of alcohol contribute to the destruction of the liver. Intoxication leads to poor judgment leading people to engage in risky behavior like drunk driving or unsafe sex practices. The risk behaviors will, in turn, result in diseases and accidents that could cost lives. Besides, if one is unable to control their drinking, they risk developing dependence. Addiction could lead people to seclude themselves and become unreliable even in workplaces. If one is constantly drunk and broke, they can become that other person who will avoid leading to a life of loneliness.

6. Societal Impacts

The magnitude of societal impacts arising from drinking depends on the prevalence of the practice. A common factor is the loss of lives and impairment due to accidents arising from drunk driving or operating other machinery while intoxicated. Drinking will affect the productivity rate of an individual. When a majority of the society is drinking, the local economy will suffer from the production decline. The cost of maintaining an unproductive workforce is too high, leading to losses that affect the income generation in an area. Additionally, the health costs will rise as more people seek care for drinking-related ailments.