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Adolescent Issue Position Paper – Consumption Of Alcohol

Adolescent Issue Position Paper – Consumption of Alcohol

The consumption and abuse of alcohol in New Zealand is often presented as an adolescent issue (rather than a widespread societal problem) by the mainstream media and the general public. Consumption of alcohol by adolescents, particularly but not exclusively those underage, is seen as dangerous behavior, a risk to both themselves and the general public.
"Alcohol, we are asked to believe, is a dangerous gift that mustn't be allowed to fall into the eager hands of minors, for fear they should become initiated too soon into its potent mysteries. (Walton, 2001)
Adolescents themselves identify the consumption of alcohol as a concern of varying degrees to themselves and their peers. I spoke with two groups of friends (one group of four year 9 girls and one group of three year 13 boys and two year 13 girls) and all agreed that they felt that consumption of alcohol was an issue for them and other teenagers. (Group of girls, 2007) (Year 13s, 2007)
For the younger group the main focus of concern was for the wider issues of drink driving, unwanted pregnancy, sexual diseases and violence – they almost sounded like an educational pamphlet! As none of them (as far as they would admit to) have ever consumed more than a glass of beer or wine under the supervision of parents, their personal knowledge and experience of alcohol was restricted to the slight light-headed feeling they themselves experienced after one drink and what behavior they have observed in older siblings, parents, other family, family friends and what they have seen on TV. When asked what the difference between adult consumption of alcohol and teenagers' consumption of alcohol (to make it an adolescent issue) the most strongly justified reason was that ‘teenagers aren't as responsible as adults'. This was explained as the reason for their earlier concerns of drink driving, pregnancy etc as teenagers get drunk more easily and ‘don't know what...