(Lender, 2001). Setting and social situation influence how much a teenager drinks, according to a study from the University of Maryland (Social situations, 1998). Age determines how much, when and with whom teenagers drink, according to this study, which involved a survey of the drinking habits of 9th and 12th graders from 15 communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The study found that 40.1 percent of 9th graders and 54.1 percent of 12th graders were heavy drinkers, consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion within two weeks of the survey. Both were most likely to drink with groups of friends, but 9th graders often drank at home with parents or family members, but 12th graders did not. Twelfth graders were more likely to drink in exclusively underage groups. Most teens drank in groups of 10 or more, usually at "someone else's" home. Ninth graders were twice as likely as 12th graders to drink in their own home. The researchers note that this study may not represent teens all over the country, but showed patterns consistent with those found among adults.
The physiologic and psychological effects of alcohol consumption are many: a sense of euphoria, reduction of anxiety, impaired judgment and motor coordination, aggression, depression, drowsiness, blurred vision, loss of ba
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