Underage drinking
Underage drinking is a serious public health problem with dangerous consequences. Although it’s illegal, kids aged 12 to 20 drink 11% of all the alcohol consumed in the U.S. More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinking. Another risk factor is mixing alcohol with super-caffeinated energy drinks.
According to surveys, 10 million young kids under the age of 21 drank alcohol in the past month. Every year, there are more than 200,000 emergency room visits by kids under age 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol. More than 5,000 of those kids die as a result of alcohol drinking.
Other consequences of underage drinking include school problems, legal problems, sexual assault, and abuse
The article “Why the Drinking Age Should be Lowered: An Option based upon Research” is about twenty years of research based underage drinking done by Ruth Engs. It talks about the way things were in the past compared to how things are now. The research done for this article shows that binge drinking is mostly found in the age below 21 due to the lack of being taught responsible drinking habits. In this article there are many statistics dealing with drinking at a college level over a long span of
“According to the CDC, about 90% of all teen alcohol consumption occurs in the form of Binge Drinking, which experts say peaks at the age of nineteen.” (qtd by Listfield). Binge Drinking is the consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. The author, Emily Listfield, defines that the standard alcohol consumption over a two hour period is considered to be four beers for women and five beers for men. This has become a great distraction for college students nationwide and a major dilemma on college campuses. Nearly two hundred thousand students visit emergency rooms each year due to the abuse of alcohol, and more than one thousand seven hundred students die. In the article “ The Underage Drinking Epidemic”, Listfield identifies the problems that underage drinking can cause, the dangers that could happen, and four solutions on what parents can do to keep their kids from binge drinking.
“’ 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.
Underage drinking should not happen because it could lead to health problems, addictions, and serious accidents.
Based on information taken from NIH (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) by the age of fifteen around half of teens have had at least one drink and seventy percent by that age of 18 have had a drink. It seems harmless for youth to experiment with alcohol but there are serious risks that come with underage drinking such as injury, sexual assault, and even death. In 2008 there were more than one hundred ninety thousand underage people to visit the emergency room for alcohol related injuries. Drinking can impair decisions on sexual activity and can lead to sexually assaulting someone, or if in a crowd of drinkers the chance of being sexually assaulted is increased and even more so when it comes to youth. Alcohol in youth can even lead to death, around five thousand death are reported annually for alcohol related underage deaths. To help prevent underage drinking you can learn to look for signs in your youth. Look for problems in school, lack of concentration, bad memory, less regard for appearance, signs of alcohol use like smell and containers. If you are underage and thinking about drinking, don’t, wait tell you’re the appropriate age and then only drink in moderation and responsibly, also avoid youth that would pressure you into drinking, what may be cool isn’t the way to success.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Many young people are facing the consequences of excessive drinking, at a too early age. Because of this issue, underage drinking is a leading public health problem. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking including about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drownings (1–5).
Underage drinking is very common in the United States. Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug in the United States, even more so than illicit drugs (Marijuana, Cocaine, etc…) and tobacco. “In 2012 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 24% of youth aged 12 to 20 years drink alcohol and 15% reported binge drinking. In 2013, the Monitoring the Future Survey reported that 28% of 8th graders and 68%
Today, alcohol use continues to be regarded by many people, as a normal part of
Despite the greatest efforts of law enforcement and parent formed organizations to deter children from drinking, kids are still drinking, and at an earlier age. According to CNN.com underage drinking is now beginning in
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.
In the article “Underage Drinking” the author highlights the effects and dangers of consuming alcohol before it is legal. While it is true that “In most countries around the world where alcohol is legal, the legal drinking age is eighteen”, the author states that alcohol can still have more negative effects on those under the age of twenty one than adults. The author provides many statistics, such as “research showed a correlation between the lowered drinking age and increased car accidents” to back up these statements. It is clear that the author’s main goal in the article is to inform the public about the negative outcomes of underage drinking, but it seems that their ulterior motive is to persuade against it. This is obvious, as the author shows no positives or even opinions from the opposing side.
Underage drinking is a major problem in the world that has claimed many lives. There are multiple ways to die from alcohol: alcohol poisoning, drunk driving, and many other ways. No doubt about it, alcohol just starts trouble. Have you ever wondered what the leading reason for car crashes is? It isn’t texting or any usage of the phone. It is fully driving under the influence. Millions of Americans are pulled over and given a ticket for driving under the influence. People also die from alcohol poisoning, this number having been the leading cause of death in certain countries. In America, the death rate for alcohol poisoning in our youth has sky-rocketed in the past few years. It isn’t the leading cause but it is definitely one of the many causes of death that could easily be prevented.
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.
Alcohol is the most widely used drug among youth. It causes serious and potentially life-threatening problems for this population. Research indicates that drinking is associated with risk-taking and sensation-seeking behavior among adolescents. Alcohol has disinhibiting effects that may increase the likelihood of unsafe activities.In 1997, 21 percent of the young drivers 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes were intoxicated. For young drivers, alcohol involvement is higher among males than among females. In 1997, 25 percent of the young male drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking at the time of the crash, compared with 12 percent of the young female drivers
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.