Why Do Kids Drink?

An interview with 19-year-old male, university student.

HT: What's the lure of alcohol?

BJ: The social benefit is to fit in—peer pressure. Most of my peers don't sit at home alone and drink. It's just a way to do what everyone else is doing, a way to connect with people.

HT: When did you start drinking?

BJ: The summer before I started college.

HT: Why did you drink?

BJ: To make depression and sadness go away.

HT: Did alcohol help?

BJ: It did in the short term. Drinking covered up the problems but it didn't make them go away. I woke up hung over but the problem was still there.

HT: Why the depression?

BJ: A close relative died and one of my parents got deathly ill not long after that. Add in girl problems, plus adjusting to life, and trying to fit in at college. All these things led me to drink.

HT: What do you wish parents would understand about teens and drinking?

BJ: Parents need to be aware that kids will start drinking early. Talk to your child about it, help steer them away from it. But don't assume that it "won't happen to my kid." Be smart about knowing what your teens are doing.

HT: What do you wish teens would understand about drinking?

BJ: I wish they'd think about the short- and long-term consequences of drinking, from being violent when you're drunk, driving under the influence, legal problems, liver damage, you name it. I realized the consequences after I realized I had the problem.

HT: Are you an alcoholic?

BJ: Yes.

HT: That's a big burden to bear in your teens.

BJ: Yeah, it is, but I take it one day at a time and try to focus on my studies. So far, I've been sober for six months.

HT: When did you realize that you had a problem?

BJ: My mom came to visit me at school and I sat her down, told her about it, and asked her to find me help. Actually, it got worse after that until I finally faced reality and went to counseling. My grades were poor, I was drunk all the time, and I knew I didn't have forever to make my life what I wanted it to be.

HT: Doesn't alcohol lead to some dangerous inhibitions?

BJ: Oh, yes. Risks for sexual activity, and even rape, among other things, increase dramatically with the consumption of alcohol.

HT: What about drinking and driving?

BJ: It's extremely risky and puts a lot of innocent lives in danger. But people who don't have a sober driver and think they can take that risk, actually believe they can drive. This happens all the time.

HT: How has your life changed?

BJ: I don't miss drinking. My grades are better and I can actually recall what I'm learning (can't say that about my freshman year). So physically and mentally, I'm doing a lot better.

Please note: All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of original publication but may have since changed.