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.
3 comments:
Ariella Aghalarian
I will be posting my analysis of your work on thursday
The first thing I noticed when reading this final project was the lack of digital media objects. If you haven't had a chance to post any but plan on doing so please let me know and I will gladly comment on them before our final projects are due.
Introduction: Thesis is clearly stated in the first line. The statistics nicely strengthened your argument. Alcohol is one type of drugs (change: drug). Nicely set up your argument and key points for your paper.
Overall: Paper has very strong arguments (favorite: adolescents most likely drink to succumb to peer pressure). Considering revising this sentence: Rehab centers to teenage druggies equals to pretty much hell. Also you go from focusing on alcohol abuse and begin discussing drug abuse and prevention - maybe remove those points? "Some of the interventions today..." change interventions to institutions maybe? "If the prices of the alcohol are increased, it is thought as that people..." change thought as to thought that. Put what year the drinking age was 21.
You have good suggestions in your paper and strong arguments to back up your main point. There are a few grammar mistakes that I did not point out - perhaps try rereading it out loud to catch them? I like the way your essay ends - it is very finalized. Also your second to last paragraph: are those suggestions you're making to adolescents caught underage drinking? or what the law dictates already? That should be clarified and if it is the law then maybe include a few more changes you personally think would decrease the number of teens who consume alcohol.
First off, the fact that you did not have any digital objects got my attention because you were supposed to include some, so make sure that you include some, (when you do, please let me know so that I can help you make the best of them). However, I really liked how your thesis was straight and to the point, it is doing exactly what it should. It’s good how your started with giving reasons as to why teens might start drinking, but I feel that, although they are interesting facts, stating telling us what drinks teens prefer is irrelevant to your topic and just distracts the reader, so I would take it out. Continue from speaking about the binge drinking because from there you can bring in how much of the drinking (also use statistics) is related to peer pressure. I also like how you said that more teenagers drink than adults, but it would help if you used numbers to help support you claim. In the next paragraph you start talking again about the causes, so in my opinion, you should either take that out of you first paragraph and just leave it to talk about in the second paragraph, or just give one reason in your first paragraph and then elaborate on it in your second paragraph. I like how you say that teenagers are known to take risks and succumb to peer pressure because that really shows how drinking can become a problem for teenagers, but how do you suggest for that to be dealt with? But, overall your arguments are strong, but I don’t see any counterarguments. Maybe you can talk about how people think you can do things like get married, vote and fight when your 18, but maybe talk about how drinking at that young age they are still not mature enough to make responsible decisions. Also, you go from speaking about alcohol abuse and relating it to drugs, that is kind of a confusing point so I would either take that out or clarify your point. Other than that I like the suggestions you make and your arguments are very relatable. Tell us what you think can make teenagers stop drinking so much, like having them experience something that would have an effect on them, because you already know that as teenagers, even though there will be laws, it does not necessarily mean that they would be followed. Although I like your suggestions, I would add that point in. There are also a few grammatical mistakes that can easily be fixed when you proofread out loud.
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