They drink at parties, in playgrounds, behind bushes. Secretly – an awful lot! Why is alcohol so tempting to more and more young girls? ELTERN FAMILY author Dorothee von Walderdorff spoke to experts about what we parents need to know about girls' alcohol consumption.
Why are the girls drinking more and more?
According to a WHO study, adolescents drink alcohol for the first time at the age of 13.2, and they experience their first intoxication before their 14th birthday. Teenagers used to drink to feel grown up – today they get drunk to leave the adult world behind. They call it "binge drinking", "fighting drinking" or "binge drinking" – those who regularly "give themselves the edge" are "cool".
And that goes for girls too – they are even more likely to be hospitalized with alcohol poisoning than boys. An observation by Dr. Edelhard Thoms, chief physician of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Parkkrankenhaus Leipzig, which is also an attempt to explain: "The behavior of our youth is 'unisex'. The gender segregation has softened, the roles are no longer clearly defined. Girls try risky behaviors, they also penetrate Alcohol into traditional male domains. "
Alcohol consumption by young girls – that's what the experts say
Frederik Kronthaler and Anne Lubinski, heads of the drug advice center condrobs in Munich, mainly support parents in extreme cases. But their knowledge helps all parents with children through puberty. In an interview, they explain why young people resort to alcohol – and how parents should react:
What can parents do? Dare to criticize and set limits! Today everything is discussed, everything is negotiable. But teenagers need clear messages. For example: "You're home by 10 p.m., no matter how long your friends are allowed to be away!"
Are there young people who are particularly at risk? No. It is not a problem of any particular class or education – more of a psychological one.
In what way? Many young people lack behavior patterns on how to deal with stress. They are overwhelmed with what they are supposed to achieve – but also with what they can or must decide.
Why? They have no role models – and they are more burdened. The separation between adults and children has disappeared in many families. Children are treated like partners or friends and confronted with massive problems such as unemployment, lack of money or divorce.
So do you drink against fainting – until you faint? Not all. Some girls drink out of the sheer pleasure of crossing borders. When shopping and Starbucks are the only pastimes, challenges are lacking. Life is so boring that one is open to everything and everyone.
Intoxication as an adventure? Yes – and a very dangerous one at that! Alcohol changes perception. The kids feel like 'superstars' when they are drunk, they want to jump off the balcony, dance in bikini in the snow … and don't even notice that they are putting their lives in danger.
What do you advise? Educate and prevent. This includes integrating children – if possible between the ages of eight and twelve – into a community and keeping them busy. Be it in the sports club, with the boy scouts or that a child learns an instrument …
And then it happens … the 13-year-old daughter comes home drunk. How should i react? Controlled as possible. It is right when parents then show their anger, but also their fear, in a few sentences. Then off to bed! Stay with her if you think she is doing badly. You never know how much or what she drank. Young people who vomit in their sleep can choke on the vomit. Make sure she gets to school on time the next morning. Better postpone the pronunciation until later.
Many parents dread an argument with a bad-tempered teenager. Such conversations are not pleasant and require the courage to make yourself unpopular. Many parents are afraid of this today, but they have to point out boundaries that their child can use for orientation, which they may have been looking for. A huge thunderstorm is not suitable for this, but a conversation in which parents make their position clear and take the opportunity to learn more. Have your daughter tell who she drank with, where she was. Ask: How do you see it? Refer to the Youth Protection Act (no alcohol at 13!). Explain to your daughter the damage that alcohol can do to a young person and talk openly about dangers such as accidents and sexual assault.
Also, how can I prevent her from drinking again? Make clear agreements: no alcohol under 16! Maintain good rapport with your daughter. As a mother, you will never know everything. That is part of the replacement process. But staying in touch is important! And that too: pick up your child from parties. This guarantees a safe way home and gives an insight into the circle of friends.
What harm can alcohol cause in adolescents?
Alcohol is a dangerous intoxicant for young people – this is especially true for young girls. Here you can read why:
Teens get drunk easily
Girls have a lower blood volume than boys, which means that the concentration of alcohol in the blood increases faster. After a beer (0.5 l), the blood alcohol concentration is around 0.5 per thousand. The more petite the girl, the faster the alcohol level rises.
Brain cells die
The brain does not mature until around 18 years of age. Drinking alcohol slows down brain growth, destroys brain cells (several 1,000 brain cells die in a drunkenness) and changes the interconnection of the synapses: thought processes slow down, concentration becomes more difficult, emotions change.
The liver suffers
While the liver is busy breaking down the alcohol, it is not releasing glucose. Hypoglycaemia occurs, which can lead to unconsciousness. Women are less able to break down alcohol than men because they have fewer of the enzymes necessary to break it down.
Alcohol is addicting
When alcohol is broken down, ethanol is released, which stimulates the release of "happiness hormones". The earlier and the longer the reward center in the brain is stimulated with alcohol, the more deeply the learned effect burns into it. Anyone who drinks alcohol at the age of 13 finds it difficult to break away from this firmly anchored behavioral pattern.
Where can parents find further information on the subject of "alcohol abuse by adolescents?"
- Free online consultation: www.bke-jugendberatung.de; www.bke-elternberatung.de
- Directory of addiction counseling centers: www.bzga.de (Service search term "addiction counseling centers")
- Parent guide: "Alcohol – let's talk about it", free of charge from the Federal Center for Health Education, 51101 Cologne.
This article originally appeared on Eltern.de.