Race to Nowhere – Pressures on Today’s Teens
The pressures on today’s teens are extraordinary. I remember when preparing for the S.A.T. test was, “Do you have an extra #2 pencil – I forgot mine?”
Today, children are pressured to take AP classes, volunteer, play a varsity sport, excel in all classes, strive for a 4.+ GPA – watching my own daughters go through this was terrifying. I urge you to watch this short video trailer explaining the Race to Nowhere movement. Why? For the reasons cited below the trailer.
Why We Must Reduce the Pressures on Today’s Teens
Quoting from the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2007 Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking, “In graduating from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school, and from high school to college or the workplace, adolescents move in and out of different social contexts and peer groups, which exposes them to new stressors. These transitions lead to increased responsibilities and academic expectations, which are also potential sources of stress. This is important because research shows a link between stress and alcohol consumption [among adolescents].”
Chronic stress can change a child’s brain, making that brain more susceptible to taking drugs or drinking alcohol to excess. Not only that, but alcohol and drugs work on the brain’s pleasure/reward pathways, which is why anyone drinks or uses drugs in the first place. If it didn’t make a person feel better, the person would not consume [think of drinking 2 glasses of water vs 2 beers or 2 glasses of wine, for example].
To help you understand the adolescent brain and why it’s more vulnerable to drugs and alcohol, please visit:
Science of Teen Brain Development in a Nutshell by The Partnership at DrugFree.org
HBO: Addiction: Addiction Among Adolescents
Bottom line – we need to keep in mind the adolescent brain is not the brain of an adult.
The physical effects of puberty create dramatic changes in the sexual andsocial experience of maturing adolescents that require significant psychological and social adaptation. Together with hormonally induced moodand behavior changes, these sexual and social maturation stressors maycontribute to increased consumption of alcohol during the adolescentperiod (Tschann et al. 1994). In graduating from elementary to middleschool, from middle school to high school, and from high school to collegeor the workplace, adolescents move in and out of different social contextsand peer groups, which exposes them to new stressors. These transitionslead to increased responsibilities and academic expectations, which arealso potential sources of stress. This is important because research showsa link between stress and alcohol consumption.
The physical effects of puberty create dramatic changes in the sexual andsocial experience of maturing adolescents that require significant psychological and social adaptation. Together with hormonally induced moodand behavior changes, these sexual and social maturation stressors maycontribute to increased consumption of alcohol during the adolescentperiod (Tschann et al. 1994). In graduating from elementary to middleschool, from middle school to high school, and from high school to collegeor the workplace, adolescents move in and out of different social contextsand peer groups, which exposes them to new stressors. These transitionslead to increased responsibilities and academic expectations, which arealso potential sources of stress. This is important because research showsa link between stress and alcohol consumption.
Lisa Frederiksen
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thanks for the post. Great video
It seems to hit all the ‘good’ points regarding the pressures to fit in, succeed, be popular.
When is the release date again?
I agree — I thought it was so well done. Thanks for your comment.