What's the Attraction?
“Just as with drugs and cigarettes1, alcohol becomes more readily available as teens get older, ” says Dr. Gail Gross, host of the “Let's Talk” radio show in Houston, Texas. “As teens get older, they change schools and will begin to interact with older peers2. These older peers may have access to alcohol or may know someone who does,” she says. “All it takes is one person to agree to purchase alcohol for a teen and the 'connection' has been made.”
In addition, conflict. “Teens are caught in between childhood and adulthood,” Gross says. “What may have been an issue at the age of eleven or twelve is nothing compared to what these children feel at the age of fifteen or sixteen. There are issues of self-esteem, identity, relationships, love and acceptance. These issues can cause teens to have internal feelings they don't know how to deal with, and some may turn to something to numb3 themselves from it, such as alcohol.”
Finally, there is peer pressure. Wanting to be accepted can be a big issue for teens as they grow. Gross explains that if a teen feels they can be accepted by drinking a beer, they will. “Teens will often take part in inappropriate4 behaviors as a means to belong,” she says. “If a teen finds a group that regularly drinks alcohol, they will drink with them because they want to be with them. Just as an adult will take up the game of golf to impress their boss or colleagues, a teen will begin drinking, smoking or whatever else it takes to impress—and essentially belong—to their peers.”
“I think a lot of teens may drink alcohol to help them forget their internal problems,” says Kristen, age 13, from Vancouver. “The only thing wrong with that is they may end up with5 even worse problems when they drink. They may have so many problems and they don't know how to get rid of them, so they want them to go away and use alcohol to make that happen. Another reason the teens I know drink is because the ‘cool’ people drink, so if you want to join in or be in their group, you have to drink, too.”Harm
Every action has a consequence. According to a report approximately6 every twenty minutes, a teen is involved in some type of accident related to the use of alcohol. In addition, it is estimated that 10,000 teens die each year from some type of alcohol consumption7.
Experts have found that alcohol has been related to physical and medical complications8 such as central nervous system9 depression, cirrhosis of the liver10, cardiac11 problems, dehydration12, permanent motor dysfunction13, tremors14 and permanent memory loss.
“I know that alcohol can have bad effects on the body and mind,” says Alaina, age 14, from Batavia, Ill. “It can cause diseases, cancers and cripples15 your ability to think and act appropriately. To me, that's not fun—it's just crazy.”
No Thanks.
Many teens know these consequences of alcohol consumption and avoid its use. These teens do not feel that the “high” alcohol gives is worth the risk to their future. “I don't drink because I know that it is bad for you, illegal and can be fatal16,” says Alaina. “Many of the teens I know say they ‘drink to have fun.’ Well, there's a difference between having fun and just going out of control. I don't need to drink to have fun. And besides, I don't want to ruin my chances of a good future, hurting myself or someone else.”
Many teens hear about the dangers of drinking from their parents and teachers. But in reality, the decision is going to be solely their own. They are the ones who are going to have to take a stand on this issue—as well as many others. What they think and feel about drinking is what is truly important.
酒的魅力何在？
“如同买毒品和香烟一样，未成年人年龄越大越容易买到酒。”德克萨斯州休斯顿市的《大家谈》广播节目主持人盖尔·格罗斯博士说，“随着未成年人年龄增长，他们会升到新的学校，并会与那里年龄较长的同学开始交往。这些年龄较长的同学也许能买到酒或知道某人能买到酒。”她说：“只要他们中有一个人同意为未成年人买酒，那么这种'购买禁酒的渠道'就会被建立起来。”
此外，心理挣扎也是一个考量。“青少年正处于童年向成年过渡的人生时期。” 格罗斯说：“十一二岁的孩子们的心理不比十五六岁的孩子们，他们有自尊、身份、关系、爱和认同方面的问题。这些问题让青少年心事重重却又不知道该如何排解，于是就有人求助于某些东西例如酒精来麻醉自己，逃避现实。
最后，还有同龄人的压力使然。想要得到别人的认同可能是青少年成长过程中的一个大问题。格罗斯解释说，如果青少年觉得喝啤酒会得到别人的认同，他们就会去喝。”青少年通常会借助不适当的举动来获得归属感。“她说，“如果青少年发觉有个群体经常喝酒，他们就会陪他们一起喝，因为他们想要融入到这个群体中去。正如成年人会参加高尔夫球赛以博取老板或同事们的好感，青少年也会开始喝酒、抽烟或以其它任何必要的方式取悦他们的同龄人——从而真正地融入到他们中间去。”
“依我看，许多青少年喝酒可能是为了帮助自己忘掉心里的烦恼。”温哥华市13岁的克里斯汀说：“他们那样做错就错在喝酒的结果可能会使问题变得更糟。他们也许有太多的问题不知道该如何解脱，于是就想借酒消愁。我认识的那些青少年喝酒还有另一重要原因：因为喝酒的人显得很‘酷’，所以如果你想加入他们的行列或成为他们群体中的一员，你就得跟着喝。”酗酒的危害
有因必有果。据报道，大约每20分钟就有一个未成年人因喝酒而遭遇车祸。此外，据估计，每年有10000名未成年人因为酗酒而丧生。
专家们发现，酗酒与物理医学并发症如中枢神经系统抑郁症，肝硬化，心脏病，脱水症状，永久性运动障碍，抖颤症以及永久失忆症息息相关。
“我知道酗酒会对身心产生极大的危害。”伊利诺斯州巴达维亚市14岁的阿莱娜说：“它会致病，致癌，还会削弱人的正常思维和行动能力。依我看，酗酒毫无乐趣可言——只不过是发疯。”
婉拒饮酒：“不，谢谢。”
许多青少年知道酗酒的危害而不会去沾染它。这些青少年并不觉得酒精带来的“兴奋感”值得他们拿自己的前程冒险。“我不会去酗酒，因为我知道它的危害，它既不合法，又可能会致命。”阿莱娜说，“我认识的许多青少年说他们‘喝酒是为了取乐。’切记，取乐与失控可不能混为一谈。我没有必要为了取乐而去酗酒。除此之外，我可不想自毁前程，伤人又伤己。”
许多青少年都从他们的父母和老师那里听说过酗酒的危害。但在现实生活中，喝不喝酒还是取决于他们自己。他们就是不得不对这个问题表明立场的人——其他人也一样。他们对酗酒的所思所感才是真正重要的。
1. cigarette n. 香烟，纸烟
2. peer n. 同辈，同等的人
3. numb v. 使失去知觉
4. inappropriate adj. 不适当的，不相称的
5. end up with 以结束，结束于
6. approximately adv. 近似地，大约
7. consumption n. 消费，消费量
8. complication n. [医] 并发症
9. central nervous system 中枢神经系统
10. cirrhosis of the liver 肝硬化
cirrhosis n. （医） 硬化
11. cardiac adj. 心脏的
12. dehydration n. 脱水
13. dysfunction n. [医] 机能不良，功能紊乱
14. tremor n. 震动，颤栗
15. cripple v. 削弱
16. fatal adj. 致命的，毁灭性的