Is It Really Worth It?

With gas prices on a slow rise it is no surprise that the United States has a huge dependency on oil. In a recent statistic from the US Energy Information Administration stated that in 2012 alone roughly 10.6 million barrels of petroleum were imported into the US daily. Most recently BP was accused of spilling approximately 470 to 1228 gallons of oil. And in recent past the major oil spill with in the Gulf of Mexico which occurred in 2010 that is by many is considered to be the worst oil spill in US history. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil was leaked into the Gulf coast. Being detrimental to not only wildlife but also has a huge impact on the planets general population as well. Most if not all forms of transportation with a large portion being cars run on oil and little alternatives to what can be used as a substitute. With such a high dependency on oil as well as being a high risk factor why hasn’t the US looked to other forms of energy that are both clean and efficient? Many countries have found alternative ways to supply energy. Most notably Sweden, in which in later years has been noted to actually import waste to use for their energy. If a viable energy alternative is not implemented then dependency on oil may inevitably deteriorate the infrastructure in which this country is operated upon as well as consequently negatively affect natural resources and wildlife to a point in which it will be near impossible to rehabilitate.

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.

The question, "Is alcohol advertising the cause of underage drinking?" seems to flow through the minds of many American families. The answer to the question largely depends upon the families view on drinking in general. Some homes encourage drinking every once in a while, for social purposes; while others condemn it all together. The topic is very controversial with several factors weighing in such as religion, family background, and health. Despite the differing views, statistics have shown that underage drinking has reached a new height this past year. What is the cause of this rise in adolescent

Peer pressure influences teenagers to drink. Teenagers will drink because they want to look cool or fit in with the cool people. Like if they go to a party they will drink to be like everyone else. Laurie Halse Anderson the author of “Speak” is saying that peer pressure can make you do insane things. So don’t hang out with people that will force you to perform something you don’t want to do. If you achieve it you can become a negative person and face consequences.

There is no taboo subject in America quote like underage drinking. The principal problem is not the age of drinking, but the hidden binge side of it. When it comes to the law, there is always an opinion. A reform should be made about the age of drinking for numerous reasons in my personal viewpoint. In the U.S, at the age of eighteen, one can legally vote, buy cigarettes, and join the army, to cite a few things. Going against the law, critics recommend allowing eighteen-year-olds to drink, and consider their age to have the rights and the same power as twenty one-year-olds. If an eighteen years old is allowed to sign a lease, join the military, vote, and buy cigarettes. At the same agreement an eighteen year- olds should be allowed to purchase and drink alcohol. The actual drinking age is twenty one -years-olds, but the underage drinking percentage would drop if the age is lowered. The way to deal with underage consumption is to allow those who are eighteen to buy and consume alcohol legally.

Currently the U.S. has the legal age for drinking at twenty-one. This law is often not obeyed, resulting in many unsafe and life changing consequences. Many are asking why teens are doing this and it has many in the U.S. turning heads, and wanting stricter laws. The U.S. has an extremely negative opinion on drinking, partly because of the lifestyle and because of the past issues of drinking in the United States’ history. Along with opinions, schools and parents have tried to combat against drinking and drugs, but to no avail. This results in experimentation and major issues with youth drinking.

On page, 135 Jensen states “Human studies of binge drinking adolescents conform the heavy toll alcohol takes rebelliousness a tendency to engage in harmful activity, depression and anxiety are a few behavior traits .” Jensen’s point is that drinking is taking a risk and you won't be able to tell what's gonna happen or what you might do. This finding challenges the belief that teenagers drink because they think it's cool . As a result, teenagers might be ending their life just from taking three shots of hard liquor. This matters because it might help adults warn teenagers that they can drink, die, get sick or end up in jail

Things can happen to the teens once they drink alcohol. The alcohol consumption can interfere with the development of the teenager’s brain frontal lobes, essential for functions like emotional regulation, planning, and organization. It would increase traffic accidents if a teen’s were to drink at a young age. The young teens won't be able to even handle the alcohol because it's strong. Also they won't be able to handle the outcomes like having a hangover, being tipsy, etc. They are too young to even drink at a young age.

Everyone hates to see their parents fight and don't like being in the middle of it. Some teens feel the need to drink because it's a way out of their sticky situations. Parents need to pay more attention to their kids and they need to realize that their kids are watching them and following in their footsteps. If a teen has a parent who is a drinker they have a greater chance of becoming a drinker. Alcohol causes people to be unaware of their surrounding and causes people to make bad choices.

Nearly 25 percent of teens drink alcohol because they think it is fun; however the problems it may bring are not so fun (Hyde 22). There over six times more teen deaths per year from alcohol than any other drug (O’Malley 30). Alcohol affects the body of teens as well as all of the developmental processes. A major issue of teens drinking is that it increases the chance of becoming an alcoholic in the future; which leads to lowered self-control, impaired judgment, and lowered inhibition (Heath 12). Alcohol can completely change the life of a teen from the time they start drinking till death. Alcohol affects so many aspects of a person’s life and once it does, it is so hard to get life back to normal. Alcohol effects teens by harming them

First off, alcohol addiction and abuse among teenagers today is a bigger problem than ever before. The root of the problem lies in the fact that the teens are so exposed to the culture of this day and age, leading them to where they have easy access to alcohol. For example, their parents may already be alcoholics, and it's merely a few bad decisions later which could cause the child to have a few drinks and cloud their judgement. This is a big problem because their young bodies have never encountered anything like alcohol before, so in turn, the body does not know how to process it, and therefore leads to their downfall. A publication released by the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAA) suggests that by age 18, an astounding 60% of US teens would have had at least one drink. Moreover, according to the NIAA, youth between the ages of 12 and 20 will often binge drink as well.

A: I think drinking is a problems for teens because they don’t when to stop. Some teen don’t know when enough is enough. They will drink until the punk or get stomachache. Another reason why teens drink to act cool or to fit in. Some teens think it is cool to do want the popular people do and most popular often do bad things, like drink or drugs. Other teens might want to cool so they copy the other teens that drink. Those are why I think that some teens have problems with drinking.

Every problem has a beginning, where the domino effect starts. In most cases people get started drinking not because they like it, but because it is illegal and it gives them a chance to rebel. The so-called “rebel” becomes bored of drinking alone and eventually seeks “company” when they are drinking. The only catch is that the “rebel” can not be the only one drinking so the “company” has to drink. This is where the problem with peer pressure and teenage drinking begins and the first domino starts the chain reaction. There are two types of peer pressure. There is direct peer pressure where a subject’s peers actually force him into having a drink. There is also indirect peer pressure where the subject enters a setting and his peers are drinking so he decides to have a drink to fit in with the rest of his peers (Articles-Teenage Drinking 2). Surveys show that alcohol abuse is related to teenage activities such as going on dates and going to parties (Teenage Alcohol Misuse 2).

Research suggests boredom is another reason for young people to drink as this gives them something to do (Hayley Jarvis 2009) also depression can have an effect on the amount young people consume as alcohol acts like a depressant this can make the young person feel very low (Erica Wittenberg & Jim Parker 2003).

There are several aspect as of why underages teens drinks. We can define it in several different category. History and cultural attitude, Promotion of alcohol within society, Biological effect of alcohol to underage, Family and environmental aspect.