Boredom: Some teenagers get bored easily and crave constant excitement, even danger.
To escape: Being a teenager can be very stressful. Depression; anxiety; problems at home; demands to achieve and over-achieve and the pressure of social acceptance can make your life as a teen pretty tough.
Add all of this up, and you can see the reasons otherwise normal teens could get tempted to drink.
To rebel: what better way to stick it to your parents than by dong what you shouldn’t? But when people drink to rebel or prove a point, they can become more angry and aggressive.
#ThinkBeforeYouDrink
Liquid Courage: sometimes you want to fit in and be a part of the “in crowd”. Or your peers suggest you drink to be part of a group.
Sometimes you don’t think you are cool enough – taking a drink only temporarily fixes the problem.
Drinking because you’re bored? Don’t want to sit around drinking your teen years away? Look for more constructive activities that you and your friends can do.
Get involved in sporting activities or offer your services at community development and charitable organisations where you can make a difference.
The Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Estcourt branch hosts meetings every Tuesday at Forderville Primary School from 7pm to 8pm. Contact Desigan on 082 849 3014.
