Why do teenagers drink alcohol?

Teenagers consume alcohol for a number of reasons, and there is not just one dimension to this situation. Since teenagers are at an age when they want to experiment with everything, the curiosity to consume alcohol sometimes leads them to alcohol addiction. Teenagers can sometimes go through rough patches which can be due to relationship problems or something to do with their parents, and in the end, they are unable to cope with these issues and tend to get depressed.
Such conditions encourage teens to consume alcohol. As teenagers often witness their parents fighting and verbally abusing each other, this also affects their mental state. In fact, one of the main things which leads teenagers to drink is their parents getting divorced, and whenever such a thing happens, teenagers can be known to seek solace in alcohol and drugs. It is important to keep the home environment positive for teens as many of them are highly sensitive and take things very personally.
You cannot blame the teenagers for their addiction. Rather it is the situation that encourages them to turn to alcohol. Also, another reason to drink alcohol is that teenagers want to impress their friends. They want to be cool in front of them, and they believe that drinking alcohol is a way of being adult-like and trendy.

1. Answer the following questions according to the instructions.
a. Answer the following question using your own words. (10 to 20 words).
a.1. According to the text, what circumstances lead teenagers to take refuge in drinking?

• Teenagers often take refuge in drinking because they face up to difficult emotional situations.

b. Say if the following statements are true or false. Indicate the line(s) in the text supporting your choice.

b.1. Teenagers often drink alcohol because of peer pressure .

• TRUE: ... teenagers want to impress their friends. They want to be cool in front of them.

b.2. Some teens drink because their parents don’t get on with each other very well.

• TRUE: ... one of the main things which leads teenagers to drink is their parents getting divorced.

c. Choose a, b or c in each question below. Only one choice is correct.
c.1. Many teens start drinking because:

• a) their families drink
• b) they feel angry 
• c) they can’t handle their problems.

c.2. One way to help avoid alcohol and drug addiction in teenagers is:

• a) to maintain a positive environment 
• b) to be very critical about friends 
• c) to get them to try everything.

Complete the following tasks according to the instructions.
a) Complete: The younger a person is when they begin drinking, the …

• The younger a person is when they begin drinking, the greater the risk of becoming an alcoholic.

b) Join the following sentences into one: 

I used to drink to make me feel more confident around my mates. I started getting into fights.

• I used to drink to make me feel more confident around my mates and, as a result, I started getting into fights.
•  I used to drink to make me feel more confident around my mates, so I started getting into fights. 

c) Join the following two sentences by means of a relative pronoun: 

Some teenagers consume alcohol and drugs. They have problems with their parents.

• Some teenagers who/that have problems with their parents consume alcohol and drugs.

d) Rephrasing: A boy is upset because he had a car accident after having taken drugs.
Begin with: “He wishes …

• He wishes he hadn't taken drugs.

Find words in the text with the following meaning (a and b) and synonyms for each of the words below (c, d and e).

• a) intense desire to know: curiosity 
• b) a physical or mental dependence: addiction 
• c) animate: encourage
• d) mistreating: abusing
• e) accuse: blame

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