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Sound Off: Why Do Teens Feel 
the Need to Get Drunk?

by Nadia Ali – North Delta Secondary, Delta BC Nov 28, 2011

Could shows like The Jersey Shore and 90210 be influencing teenagers' drinking habits?

It’s the final period on the last day of school before Christmas break. The minutes are ticking by slowly, and students are getting antsy, eager to make plans with friends to go to the first holiday party of the season. Secret texts are exchanged in class behind the safety of a textbook, and the common question is asked: “Who’s bringing the liquor?”


With the holiday season around the corner, there’s no better way to get in the festive mood than to get together with friends and throw a party. And with no shortage of teens partying during the break, there will also be no shortage of underage drinking happening at these gatherings – a trend that has quickly become a favourite activity for many teens.


But why do today’s youth feel the need to get drunk at parties? 


So often the mindset of young people going to parties is to get wasted, which to me sounds immature and pathetic. Aside from it being illegal, getting drunk at a party where all your friends and other youth you don’t know attend, can be potentially damaging in ways that shouldn’t be surprising to teens.


It is unbelievable how irresponsible some teens continue to be in this world of social media. With the majority of teens on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, anything embarrassing and newsworthy that happens at a party will likely make its way onto the Internet. This means that if you decide to let your drunk self make an appearance this holiday season, there’s a very good chance you’ll be able to relive it the following day when your friend sends you a YouTube clip featuring you falling over anything and everyone, or when you log into your Facebook account and find out you’ve been tagged in many embarrassing photos that might be damaging to your reputation. 


So when there’s so much to lose, why do teens continue to put themselves in risky situations by getting drunk?


We’ve all heard the cookie-cutter answers of peer pressure, curiosity, and boredom, but why not just use common sense? Clearly, it is easier to walk away from the bottle of Jack now, then regret an action you do out of drunken behaviour later.


If you’ve been watching 90210 or Jersey Shore and think that getting drunk is the best way to have fun and doesn’t have any consequences, you probably need a serious reality check. Be smart and safe this holiday season.

Comments (1)
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Feeling left out

Submitted by Shel_bee123 on Mon, 04/16/2012 - 19:08.

While in this article a lot of good points are made about under-aged drinking, what needs to be taken into account is that when you are surrounded by drunk people you can very easily start to feel uncomfortable and like a loser because you're the only one not drinking. A lot of youth drink at parties with there peers so as not to be left out of the "fun" though common sense should be used here. It's hard to feel like part of the party when you're alone in the crowd.

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