With summer in full swing, there are countless parties to attend, including the upcoming ATI/RTI weekend. And there are very few party fliers that don't scream 'drinks inclusive', 'all inclusive' or 'super inclusive'.

These terms all share one common meaning - alcohol will be served freely. These parties are geared towards TEENagers, and their advertisements are plastered all over our social networking sites, their fliers are being given out at all our favourite hang-out spots; making it almost impossible to be unaware of them, as well as not want to attend.

Don't get us wrong, TEENs need to go out and enjoy themselves over summer, de-stress from the hectic school year that ended recently, and parties are a good way to do this, whether or not they serve alcohol freely. What we as TEENagers need to realise is that we do not need to drink excessively or any at all to enjoy ourselves when we go out.
Yes, this may be a hard idea to accept, since most of us had our first sip of alcohol from a relative's bottle before we even entered primary school. When we are constantly being bombarded with advertisements of young people partying and having a great time with a drink in their hand, it is hard to think that a good time can be achieved otherwise.

However, according to the report Patterns of Alcohol Use Among Adolescents and Associations with Emotional and Behavioural Problems by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there is a strong relationship between alcohol use among youth and many emotional and behavioural problems, including fighting, stealing, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, skipping school, feeling depressed, and deliberately trying to hurt or kill themselves. The study further revealed that adolescent alcohol users - regardless of whether they are heavy, binge, or light drinkers - report they are more likely to use illicit drugs (like weed, which a great TEEN majority feels is harmful, and also necessary to achieve a good time) than non-drinkers.

Adolescents who were current heavy drinkers were 16 times more likely than non-drinkers to have used an illicit drug in the past month. Light drinkers were eight times more likely to have used an illicit drug in the past month than non-drinking adolescents.

Not only does the use of alcohol affect your behaviour, and judgement, but it also affects your body as well. During your TEEN years your bodies are still developing, and alcohol can greatly affect you, especially your brain, and major organs such as your liver. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, TEEN drinking may cause more neurological damage than was previously thought. Contrary to the notion that the brain is fully developed by age 16 or 17, the new studies have found that significant development happens until the age of 21 and heavy drinking by TEENagers may inhibit that development. These studies indicate that TEEN binge drinking can lead to poor performance in school, difficulty in simple math or the inability to read a map.

According to BBC News, TEENs under the influence of alcohol also are more likely to have casual, unprotected sex, leading to the continuous spreading of sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes, gonorrhoea and HIV/AIDS, as well as greater occurrences of teenage pregnancy.

With all these negative effects, it is easier to rethink if the 'good time' TEENs get from downing drink after drink, whether out at a party or chilling with friends or even at home alone is worth it. The blame cannot be placed on TEENs alone, as party promoters all know that the legal drinking age in Jamaica is 18. Yet, even if their flyers say 'must be 18 or older', many do not check identification at the gate, and let in all the TEENy-boppers, seeing them merely as added profit.

It is therefore up to us to take control of not only our current but also our future health, by not drinking if you are underaged, and not drinking excessively, if you are legally allowed.

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'

Cheeky's World