Reasons Behind Underage Drinking

Whether you are a parent, educator, coach, physician, or any other adult who has frequent contact with teens, it is important to understand the motives behind a significant danger that many teens face: drinking. Maybe you experimented with alcohol at an early age, or maybe you didn’t and are at a loss as to why anyone would. Either way, it’s important to know the many factors that may contribute to early alcohol use.

Teen substance use is often the result of both environmental factors and personal motives. Adolescent brains are in a period of development that makes them more prone to sensation-seeking and risk-taking. And when it comes to alcohol, teens are more sensitive to its positive effects and need to consume more than adults to experience its negative effects. When these biological factors are paired with an individual motive to drink, youth often consume dangerous amounts of alcohol.

Individual motives for drinking vary, but the most common are social reasons and the desire to have an enhanced experience around peers. Adolescent sensation-seeking and risk-taking can lead to alcohol consumption for teens trying to enjoy a social setting. A 2014 study found that 86% of adolescents who reported drinking primarily did so around friends, and 37% reported that their motive was to have fun. A less common motivation is conformity, which can result from the misconception that more of their peers are using alcohol than actually are. Coping, although not a primary reason for the initiation of alcohol use, might be the most dangerous. This is because drinking to cope correlates with having more drinks per week and developing an alcohol use disorder later in life.

Knowing why teens drink is an essential step in preventing teen alcohol use. Prevention and intervention methods should prioritize social and enhancement motivations while also addressing healthy alternatives for coping with stress and life challenges. Join us in encouraging teens to stay Safe & Sober as we educate more people to avoid the risks and harms associated with underage drinking.