The problem of alcoholism among the younger generation

Alcohol addiction can be considered a disease that can affect anyone, regardless of age. This may not depend on the environment, heredity or personality traits. Today there are many different problems associated with alcohol addiction, for example: alcoholism among young people, statistics. Fortunately, there are clinics that can help cope with them.

Content:

1. Causes of youth alcoholism
2. Signs of youth alcoholism
3. Alcoholism among young people is dangerous
4. Beer alcoholism among young people
5. Why is it difficult to cure youth alcoholism?
6. Prevention of alcoholism among young people
7. How do narcologists treat alcoholism in young people?

In Russia, the problem of alcoholism has become significantly younger in recent years, and this cannot but worry doctors. Every year a huge number of drinkers aged 14 to 18 years are identified. One might even say that alcoholism among young people has become commonplace and commonplace. According to statistics, most teenagers try alcohol for the first time at the age of 14.

Stages of disease formation

Drinking alcohol in adolescence turns into chronic alcoholism at about 18-20 years of age. Experts identify the following stages of teenage alcoholism:

• Episodic alcohol consumption. The child experiences euphoria and joy. He drinks rather for company. There are practically no negative consequences.
• Abuse. The child is looking for ways to get and use alcohol. Problems begin at school. Mood swings and insomnia appear. Lack of control over the amount of drinking.
• The initial stage of alcoholism. Hangover in the morning. Problems with memory, gastrointestinal tract, liver. Aggressive behavior, quarrels with family, leaving home for the sake of drug use. Obsessive craving for alcohol.

Causes of youth alcoholism

No one is born an alcoholic - they become drinkers. The disease develops gradually. Most often it occurs due to:

• The desire to become an adult. The easiest way to do this, according to schoolchildren, is to pick up a cigarette and a bottle of beer.
• Banal curiosity. Children are interested in what adults drink. They try it and, unnoticed by themselves, get used to the taste of alcohol.
• The desire to become an authority. Among teenagers, the coolest person is the one who is not afraid of anything. Very often, in order to be accepted into the company, a child begins to drink like everyone else. By this he demonstrates to his friends that he is as brave as they are.
• Nervous feelings, prolonged stay in a state of stress. Violence, unfair treatment from a significant adult, the loss of a loved one - all these are dangerous factors that can provoke the problem of drinking at school age.
• Parental overprotection. It is not uncommon for children whose every move was controlled by their father and/or mother to begin to behave inappropriately as soon as they are given freedom.
• Inappropriately low self-esteem. Formed under the influence of family, teachers, peers. The child considers himself ugly, stupid, unsuccessful. To relax, he drinks.
• Poor family environment. There are different options here: drunkenness of one or both parents at once, scandals, divorce, quarrels with a brother/sister.

• Conflicts with others. Youth alcoholism is often the result of failed attempts to connect with people who matter. The teenager is oppressed and criticized, his interests are ignored. He doesn't feel needed by anyone. Then he picks up a bottle of alcohol.

We should not forget that alcohol addiction is partly hereditary. So, if both parents are alcoholics or the mother takes large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy or breastfeeding, the child gets used to a constant ethanol attack. Ethyl alcohol is integrated into its metabolic processes. In the future, when he grows up, self-drinking may trigger an abnormal reaction, which will result in progressive alcoholism.

The effect of alcohol on a teenager's body

During adolescence, the final formation of the body’s endocrine, nervous and reproductive systems occurs. Alcohol disrupts the development of these systems. In addition, adolescents practically do not secrete the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. This feature, combined with low weight and blood volume, provokes rapid addiction to alcohol. Accordingly, physical adaptation occurs faster. This also affects the degree of intoxication. Separately, it is worth noting the effect of alcohol on the children's psyche.

Signs of youth alcoholism

If you start drinking at the age of 14-15, then closer to the end of school there is every chance of becoming an alcoholic. The first stage of addiction is characterized by the following symptoms:

• Strong craving for drink. The child is looking for a reason to get drunk and tries to negotiate with friends so that they “keep him company.”
• Increasing the body's overall resistance to ethyl alcohol. Each time the child takes higher and higher doses of the “intoxicating drug”. The portions with which he began his “drinking career” no longer give pleasure.

• Disappearance of the gag reflex. If a person is not dependent on alcohol, vomiting occurs after taking high doses. This is normal - the body is trying to cleanse itself of toxins in order to reduce the load on internal organs and prevent the development of dangerous diseases. But in drug addicts, the body reacts to alcohol incorrectly - it does not reject it, but tries to assimilate it. As a result, no matter how much a young alcoholic drinks and no matter how bad he feels, the gag reflex does not work.
• Refusal to eat. Alcohol is a high-calorie product. Plus, after parties, ethanol intoxication develops. Together, these factors lead to decreased appetite. The patient especially does not want to eat in the morning. In addiction medicine there is even a special name for this phenomenon - “morning anorexia.”

There is no need to wait until the drinker’s health deteriorates sharply. Treatment for alcoholism should begin as early as possible. Then the chances of a full recovery will be much higher, and therapy will take less time.

Who is an alcoholic: motives for drinking

An alcohol addict is a person with signs of dependence who experiences a pathological craving for alcoholic beverages.

At the same time, attraction can be disguised under different motives.

Pleasure is a hedonistic motive.

If alcohol intoxication causes pronounced euphoria, a person strives to obtain pleasant sensations. He claims that “there are few pleasures in life” or “there is no point in limiting yourself.”

This motive has neurophysiological reasons. In 1952, an experiment was carried out with the implantation of an electrode into the brain of rats. Through it, the pleasure center could be stimulated by pressing the pedal. The rats forgot about sleep, food and reproduction. They pressed the pedal until they died.

Relaxation is an ataractic motive.

Alcoholics who suffer from anxiety abuse alcohol to achieve relaxation. The addict justifies the illness with a stressful life, objective problems, and great responsibility. At the same time, alcoholism worsens anxiety over time, so the dose of alcohol is constantly increasing.

Demonstration of a certain lifestyle is a pseudo-cultural motive.

The addict consumes large doses of expensive and high-quality alcohol, considering himself a connoisseur. He attends sommelier courses, is interested in the history of wines and the technology of their creation, and also makes other attempts to “legalize” the consumption of alcohol.

Improving well-being is a vital motive.

This category includes drinking alcohol to increase appetite, prevent colds, disinfect the gastrointestinal tract, etc.

Regardless of the motives used by the patient, he is addicted when drinking alcohol has a specific purpose - to affect his well-being and emotional state.

Alcoholism among young people is dangerous

The problem of alcoholism among young people is widely discussed in medical circles for good reason. Drunkenness among schoolchildren, pupils and students often results in:

• Brain damage. The vessels passing through the organ dilate. Their permeability increases. Brain hemorrhage may occur. Due to negative changes, all important cognitive processes are disrupted. The drinker cannot concentrate on anything, his memory deteriorates. At some point, the patient realizes that he is not able to solve even the simplest problems.
• Malfunctions in the functioning of the central nervous system. Toxic metabolites of ethyl alcohol have a depressing effect on the central nervous system, making its stable activity impossible. As a result, alcohol-dependent teenagers become aggressive, irritable, unbalanced, and begin to behave strangely and inappropriately.

• Mental illnesses. An alcohol-dependent child becomes stupid and intellectually underdeveloped. If he has binges, symptoms of mental disorders arise. There may even be attacks of delirium tremens. Such complications are especially dangerous for people who have a family member who is mentally ill.
• Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. Alcohol irritates the delicate walls of the stomach and creates conditions for the formation of world ulcers. If they are not diagnosed in time and appropriate treatment is not started, peptic ulcer disease will develop.
• Disturbances in liver function. This organ is responsible for filtering and breaking down alcoholic beverages. With constant intake of “hot” substances, its tissues become inflamed - destruction occurs at the cellular level. This is why alcoholics are so often diagnosed with hepatitis and cirrhosis.
• Exacerbation and progression of existing chronic diseases . Drinking contributes to the complicated course of all ailments and does not allow achieving stable remission.

Consequences of youth alcohol addiction

A teenager's body is less resistant to the influence of alcoholic beverages. Therefore, their destructive power is much more noticeable in the example of a number of disorders in the human body:

• liver disorder;
• malfunction of the pancreas;
• disorders of the cardiovascular system;
• general decrease in immunity;
• phlebeurysm.

Alcoholic substances have a significant effect on the activity of the brain and the functioning of the central nervous system. A teenager loses balance with himself and the outside world, ceases to control his emotions, feelings and desires. In addition, the IQ decreases. Due to this, the young alcoholic clearly begins to degrade before our eyes, forgetting what he knew before.

The most deplorable consequence of alcoholism among young people is the statistics of deaths. According to statistics worldwide, 9% of adolescent mortality is associated with alcohol abuse.

Beer alcoholism is considered the most dangerous. Its consumption is addictive with a cyclical increase in the volume drunk. The emergence of tolerance to the drink leads to aggressiveness. Any desire to talk about abuse and addiction is met with hostility. In addition, aggression over time develops from the verbal environment to the material one. The child increasingly begins to come home not just in a state of intoxication, but also with traces of a fight on his clothes or with bruises on his body.

The state of intoxication is the impetus for various kinds of feats. Teenagers do not realize their actions after drinking. According to crime chronicles, most robberies, brutal murders and other crimes are committed under the influence of alcohol. In this state, a person feels more confident and stronger than in a sober state.

Beer alcoholism among young people

When talking about the problem of childhood and youth drunkenness, we need to dwell separately on the problem of beer alcoholism. Many people don’t even think about the fact that regular consumption of a low-alcohol foamy drink enslaves a person.

Teenagers blindly believe that only those who take “strong” compounds become drunkards. They treat beer as a harmless prank. But narcologists have found that it is with this product that many people become chronically dependent.

The following facts do not speak in favor of beer:

• Has a diuretic effect. Valuable microelements and vitamins are removed along with the liquid after drinking. A growing organism is deprived of substances important to it.
• The malt composition includes compounds that relax the nervous system. Since many children are often nervous about studying and conflicts with adults, beer causes psychological dependence in them. They begin to treat it as an affordable antidepressant.
• The drink contains female sex hormones - phytoestrogens. They have a negative impact on the hormonal background of boys and contribute to the deposition of fat according to the female type - in the abdomen, thighs, buttocks. The intake of phytoestrogens is also not beneficial for girls. This can lead to oncological processes, disruption of the menstrual cycle, and primary infertility.
• Alcohol destroys neural connections, which has a bad effect on learning ability. Teenagers who abuse beer are usually less intelligent than their peers.

The danger of drinking beer among young people lies in the fact that, while intoxicated, children lose control over their actions . They start fights, have intimate relationships with strangers, and try drugs.

It turns out that beer can cause harm to future generations both on a physiological and psychological level. No need to use it!

Why is it difficult to cure youth alcoholism?

Abstinence is the main reason why a person cannot get rid of alcohol addiction on his own. The condition occurs in response to refusal to drink the next portion of alcohol. You can encounter it only at the second and third stages of the disease, that is, novice alcoholics cannot know how painful withdrawal syndrome is.

Among the main symptoms of alcohol withdrawal:

• nausea, vomiting;
• headache;
• high level of anxiety;
• increased body temperature;
• trembling, tremor;
• profuse sweating;
• insomnia;
• tachycardia;
• convulsions;
• “flushes” of blood to the face;
• diarrhea;
• discomfort in the abdomen.

Young people with a long history of alcoholism even experience attacks of alcoholic delirium. “Delirium tremens” indicates damage to brain structures, severe intoxication and the development of mental disorders.

It is difficult to eliminate withdrawal symptoms on your own. In any case, the period of recovery from binge drinking will be very painful. Therefore, dependent youth take the easier route - getting drunk again . In a state of alcohol intoxication, painful symptoms subside.

What should parents do if their teenager starts drinking?

During adolescence, the child becomes very vulnerable. A genetic predisposition to alcoholism, self-doubt, physical changes, stress at school, dependence on other people's opinions - all this creates the preconditions for use. First of all, parents need to be patient and understanding. If you start scolding and condemning your child, he will close himself off even more and continue to drink alcohol. A teenage narcologist will be able to determine the stage of alcoholism. Then parents need to follow the specialist's recommendations.

Prevention of alcoholism among young people

It is easier to prevent
any disease than to treat it later. Therefore, all educational institutions should conduct lessons and lectures, during which students will receive useful information about the dangers of drinking. Parents play an important role in the process of preventive measures - they must set an example of a healthy lifestyle for their children.

If a child is addicted to drinking, you should take him to see a narcologist. Many fear that after such a consultation, a novice alcoholic will be registered with a drug treatment center. But such an outcome is not at all necessary - if you go to a private drug treatment center, addiction treatment will be carried out completely anonymously.

What to do if a teenager comes home drunk?

The most important rule: do not scold your child. If this was a one-time use, and this can also happen, then a serious conversation will be enough when he sleeps it off. Tell him about your feelings about his action, about the dangers of alcoholism, about the impact of alcohol on life and health.

If a child comes in drunk regularly, then it is necessary to call a narcologist. Regular use indicates the development of alcoholism. The sooner you address the problem, the higher the likelihood that your child will be able to avoid chronic alcoholism.

How do narcologists treat alcoholism in young people?

Treatment of alcohol addiction must be comprehensive. It includes a number of mandatory steps:

1. Detox. Needed to remove alcohol and its toxic metabolites from the body. Provides for the installation of cleansing droppers in a hospital or at the patient’s home.
2. Restoration of normal functioning of internal organs. The patient is examined. Based on the results of medical diagnostics, decisions are made on the need and methods of treating identified disorders and diseases.
3. Psychotherapy. A psychologist at a narcology clinic is working with a young patient. He finds out what psychological problems the patient has and helps solve them. At the same time, it forms stable motivation for sobriety.
4. Coding. Today, alcohol addiction is treated with the help of medications, psychotherapy sessions, and hypnosis. Not all coding programs are suitable for teenagers, so the selection of a suitable technique is always carried out personally.
5. Rehabilitation. The period when the recovering person returns to a normal lifestyle. To reduce the likelihood of relapse, he maintains constant communication with his doctor.

It is impossible to cure alcoholism among young people overnight. But this does not mean that you can put off the fight against the disease until later. The sooner it is started, the sooner the child will recover.

Treatment

Unlike drugs, alcohol poisons the body for years before the onset of the disease. If parents notice signs of alcoholism in their children, they should seek professional help. Only a psychologist can turn the patient’s consciousness to an understanding of his illness and the desire to get rid of it.

In addition, it is necessary to comprehensively establish relationships with the child in terms of gaining trust. An exceptional sense of self-need and security allows you to return to normal life after treatment.

Literature:

1. Pedagogical foundations of teachers’ activities in the prevention of drunkenness and alcoholism among students: (historical and pedagogical review): monograph / V. V. Smirnov; Federal Agency for Education of the Russian Federation, Tambov State. University named after G. R. Derzhavin. – Tambov: R.V. Pershin Publishing House, 2007. – 101 p.
2. Youth and alcoholic dope / L. I. Burachevsky; Ministry of Education Ros. Federation. Moscow aviation Institute (state technical university). – M.: MAI Publishing House, 2003. – 37 p.
3. Primary psychological prevention of alcohol consumption among young people in the Kola Arctic: monograph / O. V. Kobzeva, A. V. Pryalukhina, I. B. Khrapenko; Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Murmansk Arctic State University”. – Krasnoyarsk: Scientific and Innovation Center, 2021. – 153 p.