Increased alcohol and substance use among teenagers has become a matter of national and global concern.
Alcohol so far in recent years has become a widely used drug by young people.
There has been a rise of matters on binge drinking, drunk driving and unsafe sex among these young groups and other problems that arise from alcohol abuse.
In research done by NACADA on high school students on alcohol abuse, it was found that 38 per cent of students aged 12-15 years and 51 per cent of children aged 16-17 years were found to have consumed alcohol.
Teens are influenced by a wide variety of sources ranging from parents to guardians.
Peer groups contribute great deal in this matter. Mostly, young people try alcohol from persuasion by their friends or what they see other people of their age groups do.
Social media also contributes to making teenagers alcoholics.
There's a lot of engagement in social media from this group for learning and entertainment purposes mostly. And so they learn from content uploaded that people their age could drink alcohol.
Studies show that younger people are at a greater risk of getting alcohol-related health issues than adults.
Among teenagers, alcohol use consequences can be acute and have an immediate effect on a situation where there's an alcohol-impaired functioning such as unintentional death or injury.
Early-onset of alcohol drinking creates a higher probability chance of an individual resulting in alcohol-dependent adults.
It also results in accidents in cases of drunk drivers.
Teenagers can also contract HIV/AIDS, STIs and possible pregnancy.
Although alcohol abuse has been a worrying trend, several measures can be taken to prevent the issue.
These measures include teaching responsible drinking, talking about the dangers of binge drinking, encouraging them to be open by providing a conducive environment where teenagers can reach out during hard times or stress periods instead of opting to drink.
Providing open communication for teenagers to prevent risky drinking will encourage them to have alternative supportive relationships from outside the family.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
