Imagine killing your best friend. Imagine smashing him into a telephone
pole, crushing his bones and organs and making him bleed to death. Imagine
the pain and suffering he would go through. Imagine then going on trial for
his death, facing his family and friends and the hateful stares as you walk
in the courtroom. Imagine a verdict of guilty and being sentenced to thirty
years in prison, thirty long years to sit alone and ponder how you could have
been so stupid to kill someone you love.
How would a night like this have begun? It probably began like the night
of a typical American teenager. You would go pick up a carload of your
closest friends and head to the party scene. You have a few drinks, maybe a
beer or two
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Now imagine your freshman year of high school. You get invited to that
huge senior party, so of course you go. There are a million different types
of drinks there and you are offered a beer by some upperclassmen. You take
it and chug it, trying to impress them. They offer you another and another,
until finally you pass out. You are put, unconscious in a chair and the
party goes on. The next morning someone tries to wake you, but you won't
open your eyes. They call 911 and you are taken to the hospital. You are
rushed into the ER and 10 minutes later are pronounced dead due to alcohol
poisoning.
This is how alcohol affects the teenagers of America today. It ruins
lives and not only the lives of those who drink. It affects their friends
and family. It even affects people they do not know, the thousands of people
that are killed each year by drunk drivers. Many teens think they are
invincible, that nothing will ever happen to them. They will never drink too
much or be in an accident. But many lives are taken away because of underage
drinking. These people are killed in an instant, squashed like bugs on a
windshield. They never get to grow up and fulfill their dreams. They become
that bum on the street, staggering around and yelling obscene comments. They
are like the stray dog that never really finds a place in life.
So what is the solution to this problem? Stop the underage drinking.
Americans today need to wait until
“Automobiles are not ferocious.... it is man who is to be feared,” as Robbins B. Stoeckel remarked, enumerates a simple, yet fundamental concept- a vehicle in itself is a relatively safe, that is, until you put a person behind the controls. Further adding to the danger is the ever prevalent risk of a fellow driver being impaired by the usage of alcohol; perhaps the only thing that may make such a situation even more difficult and dangerous is one who is under the legal alcohol drinking age. Fewer situations are more life threatening than when an underage driver has been illegally consuming alcohol, yet persists in the belief that he or she retains the ability to drive safely. Thoughts along this line are foolish at best and deadly at
A serious epidemic is overtaking this country. Underage drinking is spreading like a virus. It is not just teenagers in college that are drinking; there are numerous kids in high school, middle school, and even elementary school! How have we let it get this far? There is no excuse to be oblivious anymore. Underage drinking is right in front of our faces. It is killing our children. The good news is that this is a problem that can be fixed. There is no way of completely eliminating underage drinking, but it can be greatly reduced. With efforts from the government, parents, and the media, we can diminish underage drinking a great deal. We need to start educating our children that alcohol is a dangerous drug. We need to start setting better
According to (Edgar Snyder) underage drinkers are most likely to be in higher risk for suicide and homicides car crashes , and other injuries such as burn,falls, and drowning. Throughout the years there has been 1,580 deaths from car vehicles crashes, 1,269 from homicides, 245 from alcohol poisoning, falls, burns, drowning, and 492 from sucicide(Edgar Snyder). Without a doubt underage drinking is a big issue today being consumed today by nearly 11 million in the united states.
“’ Were seeing kids coming in with blood alcohol see levels in the mid-.3s, even .4, which four to five times the legal limit for driving. That’s the level at which 50% of people die,”’ says Dr. Mary Claire O’ Brien, an emergency medicine physician and associate professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Underage drinking has become an issue in young teens. Teens are drinking large amounts of alcohol in short periods of time. The effects of alcohol in adolescents are much more life threating then an adult. In the article “The Underage Drinking “, Emily Listfield acknowledges that binge drinking is common in adolescents, it causes long term effects, physical injury and death.
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.
Furthermore, 21 year olds create less traffic accidents and fatalities than 18 year olds. For example, 21 years olds are more mature and responsible for their own actions than 18 years olds. As a fact, “Excessive alcohol consumption contributes to more than 4,700 deaths among underage youth, that is, persons less than 21 years of age, in the United States each year.” (CDC). Throughout each year, 21 year old drivers tend to be safer on the road than 18 year olds. To prove this, 18 year olds get carried away with drinking while driving and force them to cause trouble with others.
In the article Why the Drinking Age should be Lowered, Ruth Engs believes that the drinking age should be lowered to about 18 or 19. Engs is a Professor at Indiana University in the Health and Sciences department. In this article Engs makes a valid point in that “responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and educational programs.” Engs also states facts about the different drinking ages in other countries, and that the United States has the highest legal purchasing age for alcoholic beverages in the world.
Teenagers have proven themselves mature and able to handle responsibilities at an early age in the views of some people, but what is ignored is all the consequences of handling over these privileges earlier than necessary.
Congrats, it is your eighteenth birthday! You are now legally mature enough to sign contracts, fly airplanes, accommodate in the military, accommodate on juries, vote, and hold public office. So why are you not able to sit down, relax, and enjoy a nice cold beer after a hard week at work and college? The minimum drinking age of 21 has not made underage drinking obsolete, it has instead inspired underage binge drinking into private and less controlled environments, leading to more health and life-endangering behavior by teenagers.
According to “Underage drinking and the drinking age” at the age of 18 you are considered an adult, however the article suggests most 18 year olds are not mature enough to drink responsibly. Underage drinking is an immense problem that college students and young men and women face. Main states, that although students argue that when they turn 18 and are considered adults, they should be able to legally vote, risk their lives in the military, get married, and legally drink. Depending on where the soldier is stationed depends on whether they can drink or not. Soldiers stationed in the United States drink less because they are under less stress. Many soldiers and young adults use alcohol as a way to cope. Years ago alcohol Prohibition was used to stop the use of alcohol altogether. The availability that underage drinkers have to get their hands on alcohol is high (Main).
Alcohol is a drink that possesses a seducing effect to tempt many citizens. Adults worldwide consume countless cans of beers, wine, vodkas, and other alcohol beverages. However, its luring quality has been secretly shared to minors, resulting to a problem called Underage Drinking. This situation has existed for quite some time. In the past, underage drinking was considered a miniscule crime, and wasn’t strictly restrained or monitored. As we continued to remain oblivious, numbers of adolescent drinkers have gradually increased as they used the tolerant rules to their advantage. Now, the problem has become significantly noticeable, and we can no longer neglect it. High school, even middle school students have been found with
According to Carla, “on average 1,100 a year die from alcohol-related traffic crashes and another 300 die in non-traffic alcohol-related deaths”(Main). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that “relative to adults, young people who drink and drive have an increased risk of alcohol-related crashes because of their relative inexperience behind the wheel and their increased impairment from alcohol (U.S. Dept). It is an obvious argument that no matter what age an individual is, if they are under the influence of alcohol, they are at a higher risk of getting in a car crash but it is more likely for younger people because they do not have a high tolerance as olders do. Many individuals feel that they can overcome those obstacles when driving because they are not in the right state of mind which leads to future accidents or
The magical number in America is eighteen. This is the age when you are now seen as an adult under the eyes of the law; meaning that you will now be able to: sign up for war and be sent to a different country, vote for the future president, enter clubs ,leave home, marry someone of your choice,choose your life long career and purchase cigarettes which are proven to harm your health. Along with many privileges, there are many expectations that an eighteen year old must meet ,which means responsibility. Now as an adult, they must make every choice in their life, but they are denied the right to legally purchase alcohol. Although, many argue that at the age of eighteen, you are still a “teenager” , above are all of the facts to prove contrary
Almost everyone can agree that alcohol should not be given or allowed to children or young adults under a certain age. Alcohol is a substance that is very dangerous and if you used incorrectly or immaturely the consequences can be great danger to the users or the ones around them. The topic of lowering the drinking age has been in discussion for many decades. “Between 1970 and 1976, 29 states lowered their age for drinking alcohol. The results were catastrophic. Highway deaths among teenagers and young adults skyrocketed. Almost immediately, states began raising the minimum drinking age again.” “In 1984, Congress passed the Uniform Drinking Age Act, which required states to have a minimum drinking age of 21 for all types of alcohol
When teen-agers turn 18, they are told that they are adults and are sent into the world. They go to college, get a job, marry or join the military. They do grown-up things like vote, pay taxes and become parents. But they can't go to the pub for a beer because when it comes to liquor, they are still just kids. Where's the fairness in the 21-and-older drinking law?