Underage Drinking
The legal drinking age should stay at 21 years old. Alcohol is one type of drugs chosen by many American adolescents of all ages. From studies, it's shown that one of the reason many adolescents drink are because of emotional and physical changes. If the adolescents had a bad childhood, for example if they lived with parents who were alcoholics, then they are most likely to start drinking at an early age. Also as adolescents advance from one grade to the next, they face more stress from school. Statistics show that from 8th grade to 12th grade, the adolescents picked alcohol over cigarettes and marijuana. Within 8th grade about 26% chose alcohol, 32% of 10th graders and about 43% of 12th grade chose alcohol over cigarette and marijuana. When it comes to choosing which alcohol to consume, in Georgia, adolescents chose hard liquor over other alcohol beverages such as wine, beer and other types of alcohol beverages. Many adolescence take part in binge drinking. More males (54%) take part in binge drinking than females (31.9%) using hard liquor. The percentage changes for the other type of alcohol beverages. Even though there are less teenage drinkers than adult drinkers, the teenage drinkers consume more alcohol than adults per month.
There are many causes to which why adolescents drink alcohol. One type of factor that is most likely to cause underage drinking is the environment. In school, much adolescents, growing up, face some kind of peer pressure. Mostly in high school, where many parties occur involving binge drinking, adolescents are being affected by these types of parties.
The adolescents that attends the parties, sees everyone drinking, which makes them even more curious to actually try it. But then there is a good type of peer pressure that help adolecents to make the right decisions. Parents who are alcoholics may also be the cause to why adolescents might start to drink.
If the adolescents grew up with alcoholic parents, he/she are most likely to begin
drinking at an early age, hence growing up with an alcoholic enviornment. Genetics of alcoholic parents, is also another cause to underage drinking. The U.S Department of Health & Human Resources proved that children of alcoholics (COA’s) are likely to drink at a young age, range from 11-14.
One thing adolescents are known to do is taking risks and expecting things. The brain of adolescence is still in the process of developing. According to the U.S Department of Health & Human Resources, they believe that developmental period of the adolescents' brain is the reason to why adolescents want to take risks. These developmental period cause teenagers to feel the need to seek for thrilling experiences. One of these “thrilling experiences” could be experimenting with alcohol itself. Since adolescencts are in their “developmental period” they expect things to be as they wish they are. Without thinking about the consequences of drinking alcohol, they expect drinking alcohol to be “pleasurable”.
How are adolescents expected to "learn things" if they don't tak risks? Well since they are currently in their "developmental period", they are expected to take risks.
Adolescents will always be curious about many things. In order to help stop this issue to advance, there are preventions and treatments out there. For example, for treatments there are rehab centers for short-term and long-term rehabilitation. Rehab centers to teenage druggies equals to pretty much hell. They are so addicted to the drug that its not that easy to give it up. Hence going through withdrawal. There are prevention programs everywhere to teach the younger generation about what’s bad and what’s good. In school, there are health classes which teach kids about drug uses and alcohol uses. Other ways to prevent actually depends on the parents of child. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), states “parents need to have a good relationship between them and their child, they need discipline methods, they need communications and monitoring of their child”.
If any adolescents at age of under 21 years old is caught, by police, drinking they have to face consequences. They could be fined and even told to take the alcohol and drug seminar. They can also be required to complete some community service hours. New York is strict against drivers under the age of 21, under the influence of alcohol. New York State follows the “Zero Tolerance Law”.
The Zero Tolerance Law states that no one under the age of 21 should be drinking and driving. If an adolescent is caught drinking and driving, they are told to take the breathalyzer test. If the test shows that adolescents has the Blood alcohol Content (BAC) of .02% or more, but not more than .07%, they are violating the zero tolerance law and are told to attend an Administrative Hearing. If the BAC is more than .05% and less than .08% they are sent to criminal court and will be charged “driving while ability is impaired by alcohol” (DWAI). Same goes for anyone with the BAC .08% and more, except they will be arrested.
Today, there are many interventions trying to prevent underage drinking issue. Some of the interventions today that are trying to solve this issue are raising the alcohol prices, increasing the minimum age for drinking, enacting the zero tolerance law, school-based prevention programs and family-based prevention programs. If the prices of the alcohol are increased, it is thought as that people would buy less and consume less. Increasing the minimum age might actually help save lives of people because when the age was risen to 21, estimated, from 700 to 1,000 lives were saved. So if the minimum age was increased it might help us save more lives. If school-based prevention programs and family-based prevention programs are formed it will help educate more people about how dangerous underage drinking can be. Even if we had all of the interventions done, we can’t force the adolescents to think the way we think. It’s up to them to make their own right decisions.
