Alcohol Addiction and Adolescents

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the misuse of alcohol among adolescents in Australia. It primarily describes the patterns of teenage alcohol consumption and discusses the influence of Australian culture on teenagers' perception of alcohol use. The paper then analyzes several theories relating to the aetiology of alcohol use and attempts to identify the major reasons why so many adolescents choose to drink.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Looking at Statistics
Literature Review
The Drinking Culture in Australia
Conclusion
Appendices

From the Paper:

"While there is widespread recognition of the problem of alcohol abuse among adolescents, the causes for such behaviour remain contentious. In 2001, the National Drug Strategy Household Survey reported that approximately two-thirds of 14-17 year-olds used alcohol, with almost one-fifth admitting that they consumed alcohol on a regular basis, while the Australian Temperament Project (ATP) revealed that some 25 percent of 13-14 year-olds had used alcohol within the previous month. The project also reported a serious increase in the amount of adolescents using alcohol, with 60 percent of 15-16 year-olds, and 85 percent of 17-18 year-olds, having consumed alcohol within the past month (Smart, Vassallo, Sanson, Richardson, Dussuyer et al.2003)."
"The misuse of alcohol among adolescents is an increasingly serious problem. Although it has been shown that many teenagers do not suffer from alcohol-related problems (Bonomo, Coffey, Wolfe, et al., 2001), there exists a large sub-group who engage in dangerous levels of drinking."

Sample of Sources Used:

• AIHW (2003a), Australia's Young People: Their Health and Wellbeing 2003, Catalogue No. PHE50, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra.
• AIHW (2003b), Statistics on Drug Use in Australia, Catalogue No. PHE-43, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra.
• Ary, D.V., Duncan, T.E., Duncan, S.C. & Hops, H. (1999), Adolescent problem behavior: The influence of parents and peers, Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 217-230.
• BARNES, G.M. Drinking among adolescents: A subcultural phenomenon or a model of adult behaviors. Adolescence 16:211-229, 1981.
• Barnes, G.M., Reifman, A.S., Farrell, M.P. & Dintcheff, B.A. (2000), The effects of parenting on the development of adolescent alcohol misuse: A six-wave latent growth model, Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 175-186.

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