Drinking Reasons, Types and Social Acceptance Created by T. Truitt MS

Reasons why some teenagers drink… Look grown up Be more popular Look cool Feel less nervous in social situations Like the taste Get intoxicated to have fun Peer pressure Boredom

Reasons Why Some People Become Problem Drinkers… Cope with problems Cope with stress Cope with negative emotions Physical and psychological dependence (addiction) Have friends who are problem drinkers Alcohol is a drug that slows down the body’s functioning…just like aspirin is a drug that relieves minor pains. Alcohol cannot make a person strong, smart, cute, sexy, powerful, tough or rich.

Reasons for NOT drinking… Dislike the taste Don’t like the feeling of getting drunk It’s fattening Religious or family prohibitions Need to stay in shape for sports It is illegal

Types of drinking… Abstinence: About 30% of American adults don’t drink at all. Ritual drinking: The drinking of alcohol in the context of a religious service or a family rite. Examples: church, wedding toast, etc Social drinking: Many Americans call themselves “social” drinkers. This drinking is appropriate to time and place (can vary from one neighborhood to another)

Types of drinking continued… Compulsive or problem drinking: Alcohol is used as a way of attempting to cope with problems or negative feelings. It involves drinking too much, too often. This kind of drinking is destructive and frequently increases a person’s problems rather than decreasing them.

What percentage of Americans drink alcoholic beverages? Only 70% of all adults drink. One third of all adults DO NOT drink at all!

What percentage of people who drink to excess and experience trouble when they drink? 10% of adults are heavy drinkers (5 or more drinks per occasion for at least five days in the past month.

Teenagers and drinking… Statistics show that many teenagers drink once in a while. Only 3% of high school seniors drink regularly (daily). 68% of high school seniors reported that they would disapprove of someone that drank regularly.1

Social Acceptance… One reason that people drink is because they want to be popular and well-liked. But, it is possible to be popular and well-liked without drinking. On the other hand, drinking can actually cause you to be less popular and less well-liked.

Social Acceptance continued… Some forms of drinking are not socially acceptable and peple will form negative attitudes about you if you drink in one of these ways. Some examples include: drinking when you are younger than the legal age and it is not part of a religious ceremony, drinking to the point of intoxication or loss of control, drinking that gets you into trouble, compulsive drinking, excessive drinking.

Social Acceptance continued… The bottom line is that drinking, particularly heavy drinking or getting drunk, is neither cool nor grown-up.

What are YOUR reasons for Not Drinking???