Teenage girls are also drinking more than teenage boys, according to the study, which was conducted among 3,287 teens in private and public high schools by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. 

In the past year, 59% of high school girls admitted to drinking, whereas only 52% of high school boys did. The number of girls increased by 11%  in the past year alone.

A recently published article in Newsweek attempts to explain this phenomenon. 

One theory is that there are more alcoholic products geared toward girls nowadays. These drinks--I assume they are referring to girl favorites like Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Smirnoff Ice--tend to be more sugary and are usually also available in female-friendly diet flavors.

The article also notes that more girls are reportedly drinking because “girls are more sensitive to emotional stress” and tend to internalize things. 

I know this study is based on apparently verified statistical information, but I just can’t agree with the image it provides.

From reading this article, one would think that high school girls are sitting in their rooms downing shots by themselves to deal with their emotional problems, while high school boys are out drinking and having fun. And the reason for this is because girls are more sensitive and can’t handle their day-to-day lives? I just don’t see it.

The author does make a concession at the end that girls may be more mature and more willing to admit their reasons for drinking than boys, but this again relies on simple gender stereotypes.

The information presented in this article is certainly worrisome, but to blame it on women’s inability to handle their own emotions is a little simplistic and sexist.

However, many of the comments on a USA Today story on the same subject noted that this problem may be a result of a selfish society.

Their argument? Today’s teens are overly stressed because they are too focused on themselves and their own lives. Instead of focusing on others, they turn to alcohol and drugs to deal with their own concerns.

One commenter even blamed Facebook for this phenomenon: “Facebook is making a whole generation of kids not deal with people/problems. Not deal with real life experiences. To them, having 100's of ‘friends,’ a cool web-page and chatting about inane nonsense is their priority in life. And when the ‘you-know-what’ hits the fan, they are emotionally ill-equipped to handle the situation.”

Other commenters said it was more likely that kids were just trying to get a thrill and that trying to find some sort of gender-based explanation for it was a waste of time.

"I tend to agree that stress and coping are just rationalizations," one commented. "Teens see these excuses used to justify all kinds of behavior, so why shouldn't they use the same excuses?"

So are today’s girls really turning to alcohol more than previous generations to deal with problems, or are they just trying to get a thrill like many generations before them? 

It’s hard to know for sure, but it’s certainly not an issue that can be explained away by a simple generalization based on gender or society.

Reach reporter Stephanie McNeal here.

Photo credit: Douglas Muth