It would seem that in some circles within the teenage years do nothing but "party and get crunk."  Crunk can mean anything between "drinking and being crazy" to "drinking alcohol in combination with illegal drugs." Whatever it means, it is a joy ride to disaster. These comments refer to any form of substance abuse with alcohol or illegal drugs.

So why do teens feel the need to "party and get crunk?"  We've asked some of our peers and visited online forums regarding this very question and we have come up with the following list of reasons:

1. To go along with the "in" group and not be looked on as a sissy (peer pressure);
2. As a rite of passage from childhood into adulthood;
3. To satisfy their curiosity;
4. As a form of rebellion against parents and authority;
5. To relieve stress;
6. To get rid of inhibitions;
7. As a result of anger mostly with parents who they don't think understand what they are going through;
8. From a sense of immortality, the feeling that nothing bad can happen to me; and
9. Out of boredom.

Each of these reasons would not exist if a person really believed in themselves and had self-esteem to know that they are special in their own way and can have fun without relying on substances that are illegal and potentially dangerous. So let's talk about each of these reasons.

Peer pressure is something we all face and it doesn't stop when we leave high school. It's a real part of life and the sooner we recognize it often leads to trouble, the faster we will take confidence in who we are. Why is it really that important to be part of a group of teenagers who are relying on foreign substances to be happy or popular? Who are you? What are your plans for your future? Afraid of what others might think of you? Consider this. You have been created as a unique individual with unique characteristics and the capability of making an impact on the world around you. Does it matter what others think? During a panel review when Kirsten's brother was asked how he felt about kids at the high school making fun of him because he was in Boy Scouts, he answered: "They might laugh at me now, but one day they could be parking my Porsche." That's a person who can focus on long-term goals when the short-term benefits can damage their future. Can you be that person who will risk being made fun of today so you can succeed tomorrow? We think you can be. It's your choice.

The rite of passage from childhood to adolescence is too often confused with childhood to adulthood. We aren't necessarily in any hurry to get to adulthood where we work full time with two weeks off a year instead of the three summer months, where we have to worry about house notes and car notes, or where we are responsible to a spouse and children. In time that will come but why would we want to skip over the carefree years of the teens for either the benefits or responsibilities of adulthood? We don't and at the same time we aren't interested in jeopardizing our future for a little fun (?) today.

Did you ever hear the saying, "curiosity killed the cat?" We can be curious about a lot of things but when there is scientific evidence that some things can be harmful to you or are illegal, why would we choose to be curious about those things? Are we ever curious? Yes, we are. Have we considered going to a party and see what really happens? Of course. We really aren't different than you. We could be curious how it would feel to be hit by a semi or how it would feel to fall from a bridge of an overpass. That doesn't mean we have to be stupid enough to try it.

Rebellion during the transitional teenage years is probably as old as mankind. It's part of the rite of passage, wanting to leave our parent's nests and explore the world on our own. Our parents are no different than yours; they grew up during the stone age also. We rebel in our own way, ways that often get us in trouble with our parents, but never in trouble with the law. We might not eat our vegetables every day, not clean our room to their satisfaction, forget to do our chores, send too many text messages in one month, or stay out later than we said we would, but these are forms of rebellion that don't affect our future. Rebellion is part of cutting the apron strings that our parents (especially our moms) have or try to have on us. Go ahead ... rebel ... but do so in a way that isn't going to affect your future. In other words, fold the clothes inside out, throw your clothes on the floor of your closet, forget to turn on the dishwasher, do anything as long as it isn't breaking the law.

To drink, do drugs, or use tobacco as a form of stress release is probably the dumbest thing one could do. Sorry if this is your reason, but think about it! These activities can bring more stress into your life. The fear of getting caught is enough stress. There are many ways that you can release stress. Exercise is always a good form of releasing built up emotions. Choose an exercise you enjoy and every time you feel like you are about to explode use it as your crutch rather than consuming something harmful to your health and well-being. If you're depressed, upbeat music is a good way to alter your mood. If you're stressed with the pressures of being a teenager, girls can find it relaxing to sit in a bubble bath with soft music playing. Guys might get relief from video games. Watching the sun set or staring at the sky on a clear night can bring peace to pent up emotions.

We think everyone at one time or another is inhibited by circumstances. In our search on the Internet we were unable to find any positive meanings for the word, inhibition, but we think some inhibitions are social guidelines. Some in inhibitions are healthy.  How many of us would choose to walk down the middle of the street stark naked? Don't some inhibitions keep us from doing something socially or morally unacceptable. But other inhibitions can stand in the way of us following our hearts and dreams. It comes back to self-confidence and a healthy self-esteem. Using drugs of any sort is not the way to get over them, but it seems that many people (adults and kids) use mind altering substances to help work through them. Wikipedia connects social inhibitions directly with alcohol consumption. Before masking your inhibitions with alcohol or any other drug, try to understand why you are inhibited. Is it an inhibition that keeps you in line socially and/or morally? Then it needs to stay. If it is a fear or awkwardness about doing something acceptable, then it's a matter of gaining that self-confidence in yourself. The answer is not in a bottle.

Anger can make us do crazy things. We all get angry and there probably isn't a teenager who's ever lived that hasn't been stark raving mad at their parents. We have! There are times that our wants and desires don't match our parents' wants and desires. As teenagers transitioning through our hormonal changes we often over-react emotionally and blow things out of proportion. We both can think back on times when we still don't understand why we couldn't or had to do something and how angry we were. We've heard "when you become a parent, you'll understand" more times than either of us can count, but I guess we'll have to get to parenthood to totally understand. The point is no matter how angry we are at our parents or the way life (friends) are treating us at any particular moment letting our anger out in any negative way only magnifies the situation. The American Psychological Association defines anger as:

If you often feel as though you are at the "mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion, " you probably need to talk to someone about it. If anger is something you can handle for the most part, then recognize substances to alter your mood are not the answer to your problem at the moment.

When we're young, we have an attitude that we'll live forever. And why not? For most of us, we are healthy and strong with the world in front of us. In our minds, we are immortal. The Health Alliance on Alcohol states: "Middle adolescence (ages 15-17), the period where many teens begin driving on their own, is characterized by further distancing from parents and trying to gain acceptance by peers. During middle adolescence, teens often display feelings of omnipotence and immortality. Testing limits and taking risks are normal behaviors during this stage of development." You don't have to be religious to find common sense in Psalms 90:12: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." We will all die one day. Using illegal substances and being reckless can bring that day sooner than we would expect. Live wisely ... live without alcohol, drugs or tobacco.

The last reason for getting crunk was boredom. It's hard to believe that with so many forms of entertainment available to us today that we would become bored enough to use mind-altering substances.