Underage alcohol drinking can have devastating effects on teenagers. It can affect teens' grades, health and many other things as well. The reasons why teenagers consume alcohol are pretty clear. What aren’t clear are the solutions to eliminating, or at least reducing the number of underage drinkers. It is vital that we do something to at least suppress this problem. By taking action, we can greatly reduce the number of underage drinkers and it could also save not only their lives, but also someone else's life as well. Underage drinking can cause many health problems as well as educational problems in a teen’s life; therefore our country needs to decrease the number of underage drinkers by increasing both the price of alcohol as well as the legal drinking age.
A possible reason why teens consume alcohol would simply be just for the risk of doing it (Underage Drinking). According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, which is a very respectable health and government organization that “supports and conducts biomedical and behavioral research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems”, scientists believe that since the brain continues to develop well into a person's twenties, a teen may not fully understand the consequences of underage drinking and some teenagers fulfill their risk needs by consuming alcohol (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). This could possibly explain why teenagers
Teens under the legal minimum age of alcohol should not drink, nor should it be lowered. Researchers say that giving alcoholic beverages under 21 could create a lethal addiction and would not have the responsibility to drink. If teens drink a certain amount of alcohol it could be lethal by alcohol poisoning. “Alcohol can enter the blood stream; binge drinkers can ingest a fatal dose of alcohol before passing out.” (“Binge Drinking Can Be Fatal”). The legal minimum age should not be lowered, teens under 21 don’t have the responsibility to get intoxicated and those include car accidents, homicides, suicides, and other injuries. I’m going to tell you why minors should not drink, how alcoholic beverages effects teens, and why the legal minimum
Every year, thousands of minors die from the use of alcohol. Many young adults abuse the drinking age policy. It is put in effect for substantial reasons, which contribute in making the safest environment for all. Drinking underage is not only illegal, but also damages one’s health tremendously. Furthermore, drinking in large amounts is extremely dangerous and can cause detrimental things to occur. There have been numerous attempts to create a law to lower the drinking age, but none have gone through. In contrast to what some people may say, the drinking age should not be lowered because it would decrease maturity, promote poor behavior, and damage reputations.
Vivian Jones, the author of “Underage Drinking”, questions the drinking age limit, and wants to decrease the age limit for consuming alcohol from twenty-one years old to eighteen. Firstly, Jones defines underage drinking as a danger to young adults and teenagers that are developing. Secondly, Jones states that raising the age limit for drinking is a controversial topic in society. Thirdly, Jones acknowledges that drinking underage is banned and as a result the young adolescents are more allured to drink alcohol and rebel. The author also states that more young Americans are drinking in excess with comparison to the UK. Then, Jones also states that raising the drinking age will not stop the violence and crime, it would only help slightly. Finally, Jones states that underage drinking is a major issue in today’s society. I disagree with the author, the drinking age should be twenty-one because it would first reduce crime, it would prevent death, and finally it would decrease medical problems.
Vivian Jones, the author of “Underage Drinking,” questions the drinking age limit, and wants to decrease the age limit for consuming alcohol from twenty-one years old to eighteen. Firstly, the author defines underage drinking as a danger to young adults and teenagers that are developing. Secondly, Jones states that raising the age limit for drinking is a controversial topic in society. Thirdly, Jones acknowledges that drinking underage is banned and as a result the young adolescents are more allured to drink alcohol and rebel. The author also states that more younger Americans are drinking in excess with comparison to the UK. The author writes that raising the drinking age will not stop the violence and crime, it would only help slightly. Also, Jones conveys that underage drinking is a major issue in today’s society. I disagree with the author, the drinking age should be twenty-one because it would first reduce crime, it would prevent death, and finally it would decrease medical problems.
According to Andrew Herman, “Each year, 14,000 die from drinking too much. 600,000 are victims of alcohol related physical assault and 17,000 are a result of drunken driving deaths, many being innocent bystanders” (470). These massive numbers bring about an important realization: alcohol is a huge issue in America today. Although the problem is evident in Americans of all ages, the biggest issue is present in young adults and teens. In fact, teens begin to feel the effects of alcohol twice as fast as adults and are more likely to participate in “binge-drinking” (Sullivan 473). The problem is evident, but the solution may be simple. Although opponents argue lowering the drinking age could make alcohol available to some teens not
There has been an ongoing controversy in the United States on whether the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen like most of the world or if it should stay at twenty-one. Underage drinking has been a major controversial issue for years, yet why is it not under control? Teenagers are continuing to buy alcohol with fake identification cards, drink, get into bars, and drink illegally. As a teen I have proof that these things are going on not only in college but in high school as well. There are a lot of factors that come together to why the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen; the most obvious reason is too many people are drinking before they are twenty-one. Liquor stores, bars, and clubs all want to make money and if they can get away with selling to underage teens then they will. A study done by the Academic Search Premier agrees that, ?By now it is obvious that the law has not succeeded in preventing the under-21 group from drinking? (Michael Smith 1).
Alcohol is usually sought after within the adolescent community and has been an issue among young people. On July 17th 1984, congress passed The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 which enforces the legal drinking age and purchasing of alcohol in the United States to be twenty-one. Since then, the debated idea of whether or not the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen has been an ongoing topic for decades. Alcoholism affects many people in the United States but promoting it at such young age would not be such a great idea for the youths in today’s society.The drinking age should not be lowered due to the fact that it poses many dangers in the lives of teenaegers especially brain damages, underage drinking has declined since 1984, enforcing alcohol among teenagers may cause an increase in drunk driving and deaths and most importantly, teenagers who start drinking at an early age are more than three times more likely to develop alcohol dependency later on in life than those who started at the legal age of 21 or later.
There has been a large amount of research regarding underage drinking and the long-term effect that it can have on a person’s body and their mental state. The public is often informed of phases and activities that underage students are partaking in that can be extremely harmful to themselves that they are not aware of. In the journal article “The Use of Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages Among Underage Drinkers: Results of a National Survey” they examine the relationship between the tendencies underage drinkers who drink non-traditional caffeinated alcoholic beverages and traditionally caffeinated alcoholic beverages. The study defines non-traditional CABs as Pre-Mixed Sodas or Energy Drinks with Liquor added and defined traditional CABs as Liquor with soda, coffee, or tea added by the beverage consumer.
Teenagers often feel as if they have to do illegal activities around their friends to feel like they are a part of the team. Many people often wonder if the court of law stepped in and changed the age of drinking would this help the case of underage drinking. This proposed law would lower the drinking age to make the teenagers less rebellious and allow them to feel more like adults. If the drinking age were to be lowered then teenagers would feel as if they didn’t have to drink every day because they wouldn’t have to wonder when this opportunity will happen again. Studies have shown that:
Alcohol is many people's drink of choice in several different situations. Whether it is a casual get together or a crazy out of control party, it is not hard for adolescents to get their hands on the substance even if it is illegal for them to purchase and drink it. However, even the parents and lawmakers of the most respectful teenagers can not ignore the growing rate of adolescents drinking earlier than 21. While it may be fun in the moment teens miss the steps of drinking responsibility and the long-term effects of partaking in it. Even though some lawmakers claim that lowering the drinking age would negatively affect the country, the long term effects of individuals drinking earlier could
When it comes to alcohol consumption, binge/irresponsible drinking has led to a troubled public health. The irresponsible drinking can lead to fatal incidents and harmful consequences. Studies show that if the drinking age was lowered, then “responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and educational programs. Mature and sensible drinking behavior would be expected” (Engs). By drinking underage, youths are compromising themselves by debating on whether or not they should obey the law; thus, making choices that
Every year thousands of teens tarnish their permanent records getting caught drinking. For some teens, they put themselves into those risky situations, while for others, they want the drunk feeling. Underage drinking is a national issue, but as you look around the world, different countries have different opinions on youth and drinking. To help fix the drinking pandemic, the US should increase alcohol education and reduce the drinking age.
During our lifetime, alcohol has become a very serious health problem throughout the United States. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol has become the most widely used substance of abuse among America’s youth. Some interesting statistics presented by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, in the year 2013, 8.7 million people (ages 12-20) reported that they drank alcohol, (2015). There is no getting around the fact. Young people drink, they are going to drink, and it would be impossible to make them stop drinking. We all know that they are going to partake in this activity. As children grow older, they tend to get a sense of maturity and independence. Seeking new activities and taking risks is what children live for. Underage drinking is one particular risk that attracts many young people. The big major debate currently going on is should the minimum legal drinking age be lowered?
Anyone who is below eighteen years of age is considered as underage and laws in many countries prohibit such a person from consuming alcohol. Alcohol happens to be the most commonly abused drug not only among the youth but also among adults. This paper explores underage drinking, its effects on the society and outlines what can be done to curb it.
Descriptive research is the design used to conduct this study. This design will help to statistically and verbally the describe: (a) the influences social media have on underage drinking; (b) the influences one’s environment have on underage drinking; and (c) the influences celebrities on have on underage drinking.