AP21645

Science Summary Prompt

Studies have shown that adolescent alcohol abuse disrupts transition into adulthood for teenagers. "A consistent finding emerging from alcohol epidemiology research is that individuals who start to drink early and heavily in adolescence are more likely than those who do not to subsequently have problems in adulthood"(Matt McGue, Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnisota.) Early drinkers are more likely to have problems before the drinking even happens. Most times, early drinkers turn to alcohol because of health problems, educational or occupational issues and relationship problems. One of the main questions, is what causes associations between adolescent drinking and adverse adult outcomes such as continued substance abuse, truncated education, risky sex, and downward social mobility? Scientists think that from substantial exposure to alcohol adolescence occasionally creates a cascade of events that interrupt the transition into adulthood (Rose). This explanation could lead to different strategies of prevention (Rose.) I personally think that sometimes the case in which teenagers are exposing themselves to alcohol early, could be from being brought up in families with low income or having family problems and sometimes be going through abuse. Stress-related variables, such as being a victim to child abuse or domestic violence, are associated with substance abuse (Samuel E. Wood.) Ross and his colleagues studied more than 3000 Finnish twins and found that majority of them started drinking at the age of 18.5 years of age. The majority that had 13 outcomes such as sustained substance abuse, poor health, physical symptoms, multiple sex partners, life dissatisfaction, and financial problems. All of these outcomes were assessed at the age of 25. This leads to Barrets law number 10, "Lack of evidence doesn't mean its false." I think scientists should study more on why alcohol abuse disrupts transition into adulthood.

References: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. "Adolescent alcohol abuse disrupts transitions into early adulthood." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 July 2014. [|www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140717180456.htm].

Wood, Samuel E., Ellen R. Green. Wood, Denise Roberts. Boyd. //Mastering the World of Psychology//. Fourth ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2011. Print

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