Teenage Alcohol Abuse in Australia - Research Paper Example

? SURVEY ON TEENAGE ALCOHOL ABUSE IN AUSTRALIA BY College: Presented Synopsis Teenage alcohol intake has been on the rise in recent few years. This has created a society inclined to numerous social evils, if the trend is not checked accordingly. Incidentally, alcohol intake among teenagers starts as early as twelve years, though the legal age to take alcohol is 18 years. Alcohol intake among teenagers in Australia has been in worrying trends, with both females and male students being involved in risky alcohol intake or high cases of intoxication. Parents in some cases introduce their children as early as twelve years or below to alcohol taking by either stocking alcohol in areas where they can access, or offering them small quantities of alcohol to ‘finish off’ their last drink. A survey to indentify the cause of these behaviors is therefore necessary, to help in planning mitigation measures in reducing harmful effects caused by risky alcohol intake behaviors among the youth. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 Literature Review 5 3.0 Methods 7 3.1 Sample 7 3.2 Data Collection 7 4.0 Findings/ Discussion 8 5.0 Conclusion 10 References 10 Alston, M., 2003. Research for social workers: An introduction to methods, Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd 10 7.0 Appendix 12 7.1 Questionnaire 13 7.2 Ethic Statement 13 7.4 Informed Consent 14 7.5 Instructions for Survey 14 7.6 Thank you letter 14 1.0 Introduction Alcohol consumption among the youth in Australia is a norm rather than an exception. The Australian School Students Alcohol and Drug Survey (ASSAD) in a survey of school adolescents between 12 and 17 years showed that by 14 years, more than 90% of Australian school going adolescents have taken at least a full glass of alcohol, while 95% of 17 years old have taken a full glass of alcohol at least once in their lifetime (Hayes et al., 2004). In addition, the 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) carried out by Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed that adolescents aged between 14 and 24 years reported to have taken their first glass of alcohol at the age of about 14.6 years for males, and 14.8 years for females (AIHW 2003, 30). These figures portray a disturbing fact; alcohol intake among the youth in Australia is at worrying levels, and there is need for mitigation measures to caution the youth against the harmful repercussions of alcohol and other drugs abuse. A report by Chikritzhs, Jones & Pascal (2004, 1) indicated important trends in alcohol abuse among teenagers across Australia. According to this study, indigenous Australians are twice likely to die from alcohol related causes compared to their non indigenous counterparts. The report indicates that death rates among the indigenous youths have remained high in the last 8 years with no noticeable improvements. In addition, the report indicates that teenagers living in non metropolitan areas are at higher risks of alcohol related deaths than teenagers in cities. Chikritzhs, Jones & Pascal (2004, 2) further noted that between 1993- 2002, around 2,643 teenagers aged between 15 and 24 years died from alcohol related injuries, which were attributed to high risk drinking across Australia. Moreover, more than 100,000 teenagers were hospitalized for alcohol related injuries and diseases between 1994 and 2002. This report is further collaborated by a survey by AIHW (2010), which indicated that 78% of all Australians above 12 years of age had taken alcohol over the previous year (2009). According to this survey, 46% of the total teenager population drank alcohol at least weekly. These figures and statistics portray an aggravating situation among the youth in Australia, with alcohol consumption becoming a norm rather than an exception as stated above. To understand alcohol trends in teenage groups across Australia, there is need for a detailed survey that addresses major causes leading to risky drinking behaviors by the youth, which will form a masterpiece for authorities to take mitigation measures in reducing or preventing alcohol abuse by teenagers in Australia. 2.0 Literature Review Many detailed research studies have been carried out, which portray the extent to which alcohol abuse levels have reached in Australia. Chikritzhs, Jones & Pascal (2004, 2) elaborate that alcohol intake is a major contributor of deaths and hospitalization in thousands of Australian teenagers aged between 15 and 24 years. The alcohol related harms according to this survey are as a result of drinking to intoxication, better termed as ‘acute’ alcohol intake. Some of the harms outlined in this survey include violent assault, road injury, drowning and suicide. In fact, Chikritzhs, Jones & Pascal (2004, 3) revealed that 52% of alcohol related serious road injuries are caused by teenagers between 15 and 24 years. In addition, 32% of all alcohol related hospital admissions from injuries caused by violent episodes are caused by the teenage group above. Moreover, Chikritzhs et al, (2003, x) explains that the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) reported about 23% teenagers between 14 and 17years and 45.3% of teenagers between 18- 24 years old drink way above the NHMRC 2001 safe drinking regulations, and are prone to advanced harm at least monthly. This is in contrast to about 20% of drinking people of all ages in Australia. Chikritzhs & Pascal (2004, 2) in a survey reported that on average, the number of indigenous youths who die in alcohol related cases is 2.3 more than non indigenous youths. In fact, according to this report, since 1994, there have been reported declining trends in alcohol related deaths in non indigenous youths across Australia, while the death rates for indigenous youth remains static or increases. A recent survey by the National Drug Research Institute on drinking patterns in 14-17 years old revealed 85% of adolescents consume alcohol at risky levels, and are predisposed to acute harm (Chikritzhs et al., 2003, xi). Moreover, 18% of youths in Australia were reported to drink alcohol at risky levels weekly, up from 15 % in 2003, while 50% of young people drink alcohol at risky levels monthly, compared to 42% in 2002. Alcohol abuse among the youth therefore portrays an increasing rate, and this calls for urgent measures to reduce the acute alcohol related effects to the youth. The Victorian Population Health Survey indicates that there have been little changes in risky drinking among the young people (Livingston 2008, 367). The report further indicates that the number of youth females involved in risky alcohol drinking has increased from 37% to 43% between 2002 and 2005. On the other hand, the report indicates a significant reduction in risky drinking among the male teenage youths from 77% to 72% between 2002 and 2005 (Livingston 2008, 367). These figures indicate a non substantial change. However, the figures indicate more males are involved in risky alcohol taking paradigms compared to their female counterparts. Allsop et al., (2006, 15) highlights some of the reasons that lead to the risky drinking a behaviors outlined above. According to Steve et al., more than two thirds of teenagers obtain their alcohol from their friends, though it is illegal for these underage people to handle alcohol. In addition, 38% of the youth purchased their own drinks, while 80% of those between 12 and 15 obtained alcohol through a relative or a friend. Moreover, 501 teenagers between 14 and 17 years died as a result of injuries and diseases related to risky alcohol intake (Allsop et al., 2006, 16). The report further notes that the Australian death rates among teenage groups between 14 and 17 years males are 3.4 times greater compared to their female counterparts. 3.0 Methods Social research involves critical awareness, ability to view situations from a new perspective and careful thinking, more than dealing with numbers (Alston 2003, 1). According to Alston, social research involves a ‘multi method’ approach, and requires selection of methods that best suit the purpose of the researcher. The most common method used is a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods. Livesey (2006, 1) proposes the use of quantitative research in all social research; this methodology allows collection of factual data to indicate how social elements integrate to bring about certain effects. 3.1 Sample The research will be carried out in Melbourne and will involve 2000 students aged between 12 and 19 years. These respondents will be sought from intermediate and higher grade schools evenly distributed across Melbourne. Half of the respondents will be indigenous Australian citizens while the other half will be non indigenous citizens, while half of each grouping will be females. The aim of this distribution is to ascertain alcohol intake across gender and to ascertain Chikritzhs et al., (2003) hypothesis that indigenous teenage groups are more than twice as high to involve in risky alcohol intake, compared to non indigenous. 3.2 Data Collection According to Livesey (2006, 26), social systems consist of structures that are independent from individuals. People will experience structures as forces that dictate their specific behavior in ways that shape their behavioral choices. Therefore, as Walter (2010) explains, social research has to study the causes of behavior, which are the social structures, rather than the effects or choices people make. Therefore, this survey sought to determine why there are too high rates of teenage alcohol abuse, and predisposing factors that encourage taking of alcohol among the youth. As Walter (2010) argues, quantitative research methodology seeks to examine social issues from ‘a wider angle.’ This involves gathering of large scale data that can be analyzed using statistical techniques to establish patterns. Unlike in qualitative research that focuses on how people think or interpret social issues through narration and descriptive language (Walter 2010, 68), quantitative study is advantageous as it can be used to obtain actual trends through data analysis. This survey was therefore based on quantitative research method, to ideate the actual trends in alcohol intake among teenagers in Australia. As observation and expression are essential ingredients in social research (Walter, 2010, 68), all respondents will be requested to undergo a face to face interview for about fifteen minutes, as well as filling a questionnaire as observed in appendix 1. All the research materials were then critically analyzed with common trends traced from the questionnaire responses, observation data during the interviews, and answers provided by the respondents. The findings were then analyzed, and the predisposing factors that make the youth to indulge in alcohol were outlined from the responses obtained. 4.0 Findings/ Discussion The survey returned surprising details regarding alcohol abuse among teenagers in Australia. Through the responses, it was clear the risk to indulge in risky alcoholic behaviors largely depended on the stage at which individuals were introduced to taking alcohol. For example, the survey revealed that 60% of teenagers who indulged into alcohol intake late (beyond 16 years) were more likely to be light or occasional drinkers, and were less likely to indulge in excessive drinking. This was collaborated by a research involving more than 27,000 young people carried out in U.S by National Longitudinal Epidemiologic Survey, which reported that those who start taking alcohol by the age of 14 were more than four times as high as those who are initiated in later stages to develop alcohol dependency in their life (Allsop et al., 2006). Therefore, early exposure to alcohol was identified as one factor leading to risky behaviors in alcohol drinking among the youth. Another cause of risky drinking behaviors as indentified from the survey was parents who stoked and took their alcohol at home. 85% of all respondents indicated one or two of their parents stocked alcohol at home. Twice as many male respondents than females reported this as the major influence. On the other hand, while 78% of Australian indigenous youth reported their parents keep alcohol at home, only 35% of non indigenous teenagers reported this as the cause of their risky alcoholic behaviors. Less than 25% of non indigenous female respondents reported being influenced by this. This was collaborated by a survey by ASSAD involving 24,403 students between 7 and 12 years, which revealed most parents influenced their children to take alcohol, with more than 38% of these respondents reporting that their parents offered them their last drink (Hayes et al., 2004). The fact that this study reported only 32% of parents provided alcohol for their children aged 16-17 years indicated that older teenagers were able to obtain alcohol from other sources and did not depend on their parents. More than 60% of respondents 17 years or older reported to buy their own alcohol through savings in licensed premises. The ASSAD survey on its finding reported that more than 38.7% females and 37.1% males obtained alcohol from licensed premises, while 67.8% of males and 70.2% of females reported to obtain their alcohol from private parties (Hayes et al., 2004). This was similar to the findings of the survey, where 76% of respondents reported to obtain alcohol form private parties, while 68% obtained alcohol from their friend’s houses. 5.0 Conclusion From the survey, it was clear that more teenagers are indulging in risky alcohol taking behaviors as early as 12 to 14 years of age. As most surveys have reported, native Australian youths have more than double probability of being in risky alcohol taking behaviors compared to non indigenous. Males portrayed a higher risk compared to their female counterparts. The main predisposing factors as narrated by respondents included parents stocking alcohol at home, parents influencing their children to take alcohol through sharing with them at an early age, peer pleasure, having high disposable incomes, and lack of stringent rules to govern against sale of alcoholic drinks to underage youth. References Alston, M., 2003. Research for social workers: An introduction to methods, Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2003. Adolescence (13-19 years), AIHW. www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id [Accessed 1st Aug. 2012] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011. Drugs in Australia 2010: tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, AIHW. http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737420497 [Accessed 1st Aug. 2012] Chikritzhs, T., Catalano, P., Stockwell, T., Donath, S., Young, D. & Matthews, S. 2003. Australian alcohol indicators, 1990–2001: patterns of alcohol use and related harms for Australian states and territories. Perth: National Drug Research Institute. Chikritzhs, T., Pascal, R. & Jones, P. 2004. Under-aged drinking among 14- 17 year olds and related harms in Australia. National alcohol indicators, Bulletin No.7. Perth: National Drug Research Institute. Hayes, L., Smart, D., Toumbourou, J., & Sanson, A., 2004. Parenting influences on adolescent alcohol use. Australian Institute of Family Studies. http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/resreport10/alcohol.html [Accessed 1st Aug. 2012] Livesey, C., 2006. Sociological Methods, http://www.sociology.org.uk/revgrm5.pdf [Accessed 1st Aug. 2012] Livingston, M., 2008. Recent trends in risky alcohol consumption and related harm among young people in Victoria, Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 32(3),  Allsop, S., Chikritzhs, T., & Rechichi V., 2006. Alcohol and Teenagers: Risky Business. National Health & Medical Research Council-Australia, 74; 15-19. Walter, M. (Ed.). (2010). Social Research Methods (2nd ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 7.0 Appendix 7.1 Questionnaire Please, note that you would be required to answer a few questions on your private life. Do not indicate your name and we assure you that the information provided will be confidential. Please provide your answers as concise as possible, and in utmost honesty possible. Thank you. 1. Please indicate your gender. 2. How old are you? 3. Where were you born? 4. Are you an Australian native? 5. When did you taste alcohol for the first time? 6. What made you to take the alcohol? 7. Do either of your parents take alcohol or keep alcohol at home? 8. Did you continue taking alcohol regularly after your first taste? 9. Please explain what motivates you to take alcohol 10. How regularly do you take alcohol? 11. How much alcohol do you take at a go? 12. Have you ever been harmed or caused any accident after taking alcohol? 13. Can you attribute alcohol intake to any negative incidence in your life? 7.2 Ethic Statement All respondents taking part in this survey will do so in their own volition, and no coercion or incentive shall be provided to motivate participation. Any information provided by a respondent will be treated as confidential and no identity of the respondents will be revealed in any circumstances. Please note that information provided by a respondent will be treated as honest and correct for the purpose of this survey. 7.4 Informed Consent I hereby state that I will participate in this survey on my own volition, and no inducement has been made to motivate my participation. I will provide honest answers to the best extent possible; I do acknowledge that the information provided will be processed for public knowledge. Sign…………… Date………. 7.5 Instructions for Survey All respondents selected for the survey will be notified individually through the phone. The respondents will be alerted regarding the day of the survey. The survey will be carried out in their respective schools in case of the face to face interview. All respondents will then be furnished with a questionnaire form where they will be required to answer questions in written form. Note that authorization has already been received to go ahead with the survey in the various schools selected. The respondents will then mail the questionnaire within 3 days after the interview. An envelope with the address and postage stamp will be provided alongside the questionnaire. 7.6 Thank you letter This is to thank you for having taken your time and agreed to participate in the survey carried out by our company. We appreciate the information obtained and are will to go at great lengths to treat it as such. Please note that all the information provided will be treated as confidential, and no personal details have been included. Thank you. Read More