In the United States it illegal to possess alcohol before the age of 21. If this is the law, why is 11.4% of all alcohol consumed by those who are underage? The use of alcohol is now seen to be used in individuals under 12 years of age. Some teenagers will experiment with drugs and stop. Others will continue and become dependent on them, leading to the use of harder and more dangerous drugs. Those starting drugs at an early age have a higher rate of negative health effects. These health effects can be related to addiction, lost potential, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases from unprotected sex, pregnancy, violence, suicide, and accidents that cause early death. Statistics for teens who drink and drive are ridiculous. Not only are they putting themselves in danger, they are putting their friends and even strangers in danger as well. The
Century Council is a non-profit organization who is a national leader in the fight against underage drinking and underage drinking and driving. Their research shows that in Virginia in 2011, 26.6 underage driving fatalities were alcohol related. Teenagers who use drugs are also more likely to face legal problems and incarceration. 173 teenagers under the age of 18 were arrested in 2011 for underage drinking and driving.1,840 were arrested for violating liquor laws and 203 were arrested for drunkenness.
Now it is important to note that teenagers who have parents who
talk to them about drugs are less likely to try and use drugs. Parents of teenagers need to make sure that their children are comfortable talking to them about drugs. They also need to know that if they do get themselves in a bad situation, they always have a sober ride. Parents need to set a good example for their teens and make it clear what is acceptable behavior and what is not.
The information that you have given is very helpful, but i would like to hear a little more about where you stand on the topic of underage drinking; especially if the drinking age should be lowered or raised.
ReplyDeleteI think the drinking age should remain the way it is now. The brain is still developing in the teenage years and the effect of alcohol on these functions is life changing. Those who wait until they are 21 to consume alcohol are less likely to develop dependence and show signs of abuse.
DeleteThis is a great topic and a good article. The statistics that you quoted are surprising. It clearly shows that the age for drinking is getting younger and younger. I am curious to know how these children, and they are children, are getting access to alcohol. Are their parents giving them the alcohol or are they getting it from other sources?
ReplyDeleteClearly something needs to be done to stop this from happening in order to give these children a chance to grow up.
Alcohol consumption by underage teenagers has been an ongoing problem. I think that a lot of times how underage teenagers consume alcohol is either its in their house and they hide from their parents and drink or otherwise they have friends that are 21 or over 21 that help in buying the alcohol for them. Ive seen it happen where someone has a cousin that is older or a friend that is older that will go into the store and buy the alcohol for the underage teenager but they do not realize how bad it is to be doing this and how the are hurting their friend or family member. Underage teenagers that drink I think are more prone to getting into accidents and getting drunk and hurting someone else along with them. Underage drinking is a big problem in our society and its a shame how many deaths result from this.
ReplyDeleteIt's scary how easily teens are able to get alcohol. Just a few days ago I was at a store with my friend and a teenager walked up to us and asked if we could buy him beer because he forgot his wallet and he had to go to a party. Of course we said no!
ReplyDeleteSince underage drinking is seemingly inevitable. Do you think we should lower the drinking age to 18 like a lot of other countries? In my opinion, I think we should lower the drinking age to 18. If you're legal to purchase cigarettes at 18, then I think you should be able to purchase alcohol at the age 18. Personally, I believe that the more you put restrictions on people, the more they want to rebel against it.
ReplyDeleteNo! All the research I have done for this paper indicates that the brain is still forming beyond the age of 21. There are serious negative outcomes for adolescents who choose to drink prior to this time.
DeleteIt is also important that parents know how to go about the conversation so they don't 1) make doing drugs look even more tempting/entice or 2) come of the wrong way and make their children want to rebel just like Katy said.
ReplyDeleteI knew underage drinking occurs but I had no idea that 11.4% of alcohol consumed is by them. This is a shocking number to me. This means that binge drinking is starting at a younger and younger age. This needs to change before too many people get hurt.
ReplyDeleteI think it's crucial to constantly talk with your kids about alcohol consumption and drug use. As parents, we want our kids to make wise choices. We want our kids to be happy, healthy, and safe. It's scary to think about all of the peer pressures out there. Not to mention all, of the stress that teenagers have to endure which may lead them to make the wrong choices. I think that we also have to trust our teens to do what's right and make sure that they know that they always have someone to talk to or be there for them if they ever have any problems or issues. Then, hopefully, they won't resort to drinking or using drugs as a means to escape their problems.
ReplyDeleteInteresting observation. In my opinion, the "taboo" factor is also one of significant contributing factors to teenage alcohol consumption and alcohol related incidents. Lets compare US with majority of Europe, where legal age for alcohol consumption is 18. Majority of European countries have a much more relaxed laws regarding alcohol. This in turn makes it less desirable or abused by younger population. If you are raised in a culture where drinking alcohol isn't so forbidden, young adults would not be so determined to abuse the substance.
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