1. Alcoholism
Teens and Alcohol
Name: Romarne J. Buddington
Centre: Camperdown high school
Centre #: 100015
Territory: Jamaica
Subject: Communication Studies
Teacher: Miss. Richards

2. Introduction
The research has decided to focus on the impact of alcohol consumption on Jamaican teens. This
topic was chosen due to the newly found knowledge on the high rate of teenage drinkers.
Academically the research will improve research skills while increasing knowledge on this
theme as well as aid in obtaining a grade on my internal assessment (I.A).
This research will avail me with reasons for alcohol abuse among teens and means of coping
with these such teens, due to the fact of me aspiring to be a psychologist.
Personally this topic gives insight on how to help my friends break their addiction to alcohol
preventing destruction of their life.
In the (I.A) three source of information that will be used are; newspaper, article from the
Jamaican observer on June 10, 2012 entitled “drunken teens worry drug council”. This article
gives staticalevidences to show the growth in under aged drinking in this era. The internet, such
as web page like
“http://local.soberrecovery.com/How_to_Deal_with_the_Abuse_of_Alcohol_among_Teens_Jam
aica_Plain_MA-r1298776-Jamaica_Plain_MA.html” this site give practical ways to approach
underage drinking.An interview was also done to allow the researcher to get into the mind of a
teen who drinks this will aid in write the reflective piece. The title of my reflective piece is “pour
it out” this about a teen who reflect on the moment he started drinking, where it has taken him
and the reasons that keep him drinking.

3. Reflective Piece
Pour it out
Gazing at the moonlighted sky where the stars shone so bright!!!
I guess my addiction all started in June rite!!!
Yup!!! That same wild party,
I think I even remember the tune “aint no stopping me now.”
My first sip was harsh!!!
No redstripe thing,
I got serious that’s how I ended up draining ma sorrows that night
Yeah ma sorrows the haunting past and living horror of today and tomorrow.
So I pull for that whisky its strength I will borrow
But that was only for a time so I sipped it, sipped it as slow as they sip aged wine,
Trying savour its taste, just too eluded ma mind.
Now that I have indulged in the drinking of the forbidding elixir
I’d get lost on estate wif ma niggah Appleton we called it the great escape,
Yea forever yung just like the song says
But wif each sip my life slipped away.

4. So I guess it’s just gonna slip avyday,
Who cares anyways???
Not my family because they hate an avythang!!!
And no matter how good I do somiing it’s never enough
For em and this is why I drink,
And as far as I can see they don’t intend change
So imma keep drinking to just realize ma deep thinking
Opening ma heavens making a new system.
So here I am again at the bottom of a bottle of vodka
Apple, oh apple the sweetest sorrows nectar
Which warms ma blood in the winter time.
Feeling like I can dance all night
Feeling like a child inside
For each bottle; Hennessey, Heineken, Johnny walker, dragon
Unleash a different, a different side I never knew, enabling me to enter ma subconscious
Boosting adrenaline making me reckless more and more.
Now without it, my life is filled with pain
Pushing me towards becoming insane!!!

5. But after a round of southern comfort I can’t even remember ma name.
When I’m at school I feel pinned because I can’t get ma alcohol, ma spirit and ma gin.
When I’m am wif friends I feel alone because they only want Kush.
You know!!! Smoking that burning bush.
No one shares my symphony I don’t want weed just give me a glass of martini, to ease my mind
from the time bomb that keeps ticking
At least for now I got ma niggah Wray that never seems to stay
Ma niggah Bombay that always leading me astray,
Ma girl tequila that always takes me home,
See this is ma family now just know when a need em one fidi and they’ll be there,
With no agreement, rebuttals or weird stares.
This much of ma teenage life I’m willing to share
Imma keep drinking til it takes away all ma fear
Leading me to the day the trumpet I’ll hear.
By: Romarne Jovie Buddington

6. Preface
The reflective piece is a requirement of the communication studies (I.A) its purpose is to notify
persons what really is happening in the mind of teens. It gives a detail look on the reason for
teenage drinking which could also be reasons for drug abuse by teens. From the poem line “so I
pull for that whisky its strength I will borrow.” Show a sense that the teen of today need
someone or something to rely on to give them strength and this poem is one such source which
may enable them to see the outcome of relying on alcohol for strength.
The persons that were in mind when the piece was being written was teens who thinking
drinking is “cool” or a good habit to take on, the poem should affect teens by letting them think
they don’t want their lives to figuratively to be wash away by the rivers of alcohol like the
youngster in the poem who only relies on alcohol to keep him going, hence making them
wanting to change their views on alcohol consumption making them wanting to stop drinking
and who has not yet start not to start.
The piece will be heard at youth groups around Jamaica as a means of reaching the teens. Also
the group which I am in writes poem, song and dub poem, we could go around in communities
performing the poem to youths of the communities, as a past time thing.This piece could also be
heard on the JIS programme which is heard on all of Jamaica’s local station.

8. Analysis
The reflective piece “pour it out” is a poem which tells about alcohol consumption by a teenage
male who seem to think that every problem he has in life solved can by drinking and no matter
what he is going to keep drinking. For this piece I will be analysing the language variation used
and the communicative behaviours in the poem which enhance the message brought to you
through the poem.
In the piece the language variation evidently seen was American dialect inter changing alongside
standard English this is due to the fact that poet is more accustom to the American style of
speaking even though he is from an English speaking country. Example of the speakers
Americanize lingo can be seen in stanza 6 where the speaker consistently said the word
“niggah”, or as it came to the closure of stanza 6 where the speaker said “one fidi and they will
be there,” one fidi here represents the English equivalent of saying one hundred and fifty dollar,
which is used to show how cheap a cup of alcohol is which makes it even easier to get. The word
Kush which was used in the second to last line of stanza 5 is an Americanize word for marijuana
hence why in the poem it was related to as the burning bush. The Standard English component is
where the speaker was speaking in the reflective mood example “but that was only for a time so I
sipped it, sipped it as slow as they sip aged wine” in this line he reflected on how quickly the
alcohol leave him when he gets it. “Now that I have indulged in the drinking of the forbidding
elixir” the line reflects on when the persona actually started consume alcohol.
In the poem the communicative behaviour evident are as followed, “my first sip was harsh!!!”
this indicates that the first time the speak drunk was not really pleasant and it took a toll on him

9. as he has to emphasize how harsh is was at first grasp but as he continued to drink he got the
hang of it and now uses it as his refuge for strength or comfort. Due to the speaker no fitting in
with his friend he personified all the alcohol beverage he enjoyed example of this is “ma girl
tequila that always takes me home”. How the speaker speak of his family it tells he has being
have problem at home and these problem he rather plugging into the pool of alcohol to drown
away his sorrows and pains, this mean that alcohol has taken over his life and all he can think of
is drinking whenever things are going bad.
In conclusion the speaker gave an insight it to his addiction and what made him addicted and
how alcohol consumption has taken over his life, the language the speaker spoke was a mixture
of Americano (American dialect) and English but the person preferred to speak in the American
dialect thou the Standard English is used by the speaker when he reflects on his drinking
experiences.

10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards to my guide Miss.
Alecia Richards for her exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant encouragement throughout
the course of this internal assessment. The help and guidance given by hershall carry me a long
way in the journey to the Caribbean advance proficiency examination for communication
studies.
I also take this opportunity to express a deep sense of gratitude to the Jamaican observer for its
valuable information and statical findings, which helped me in completing an important
requirement and the Caribbean Examination Council. I also most oblige Janice Budd for write
such help article on how “drunken teens worry drug council” which is from the Jamaican
observe.
I would also like to thank Olando McLaughlinfor allowing me to interview him and for sharing
his story as it pertain to him drinking

11. Bibliography
Budd Janice. “Drunken teens worry drug council”. Jamaican Observer. Kingston. June 10, 2012
http://www.soberrecovery.com/drug-rehabilitation-alcohol-treatment/tag/how-to-deal-with-theabuse-of-alcohol-among-teens.Wednesday, October 29th, 2008
Olando McLaughlin. Student. October 12, 2013.