Peer Pressure And Alcohol: A Difficult Combination For Many Teens
For most young people, the teenage years are a fun and exciting time, filled with first-time experiences: a new school, a part-time job, getting a driver’s license, maybe a first romance. In general, it is a period marked by greater responsibility and freedom.
However, teens can also experience feelings of doubt and may lack self-esteem. For these reasons, they are particularly susceptible to peer pressure: an overwhelming desire to fit in and do “what everyone else is doing,” even if it means participating in such high-risk activities as drinking, smoking and sex.
It’s all part of a teenager’s efforts to try to separate from his or her parents and establish a personal identity.
To help teens and their families cope with peer pressure, The Health Alliance on Alcohol (HAA), a national education initiative established to address the issues of underage consumption of alcohol that includes members Heineken USA, New York Presbyterian Healthcare System and White Plains Hospital Center, has developed a booklet entitled “Facts & Conversations: Peer...