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AP English IV Per. 4th

Laylaa Shaheer

Underage drinking is the most common problem among teenagers from high school throughout college and in some cases starting as early as middle school. About 9 million minors, ages 12 to 20, in America report they have consumed alcohol every month. Many teens fail to realize that drinking is illegal and has serious consequences if caught and through continued used over time. There is a lot of diminishing effects that increase the likelihood of unsafe activities and accidents to happen. Alcohol is considered a gateway drug to more bad decisions and leading up to the use of other drugs. I feel that it should not remain a trending practice in America; underage drinking is prohibited and is not safe or healthy. A lot of teens associate drinking with having fun and high social status. In America most underage drinking occurs at parties and many teens only to do it to fit in. Youths today are peer pressured into doing things every day and its no surprise that drinking would be amongst these things. Another reason they turn to drinking is because its all they see. In most cases, they may have a parent or sibling may drink from time to time for an occasion, go out

Laylaa Shaheer

and party and drink or be a drunk. Alcohol is not really on a childs mind, but it is constantly being advertised everywhere; TV, billboards, flyers and etc. it makes it easier to be on your mind and want to try for yourself. In some cases it could be said that its because of your genes meaning it could be hereditary and its in your DNA to be prone to picking up a bottle if life was to get a little too stressful for your to handle which lead to other problems such as low self-esteem. Alcohol affects many different parts of the brain and can have major repercussions. Even the smallest consumption of alcohol can alter the structure and function of the developing brain, causing irreversible damage to the brain or nervous system which can result in permanent brain damage because psychologically the teenage brain is not fully developed so drinking can cause learning problems as they continue to go throughout life. Statistics show that adults were seven times more likely to have alcohol problems if they took their first drink before the age of 15 than those who didnt start before 21. Within the heart continued use or drinking too much at one time can lead to high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat or even a stroke.

Laylaa Shaheer

Problems such as fibrosis, steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis and/or cancer can occur in the liver due to heavy consumptions of alcohol. There are many different types of drinking but the most common are alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, and binge drinking. In the United States the most common excessive alcohol use pattern is binge drinking. Binge drinking is the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in about a two hour period of time. This type of drinking is most often seen on college campuses but not uncommon to students in high school and few adults. Binge drinking is drinking so much within about 2 hours that blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels reach 0.08g/dL. For women, this usually occurs after about 4 drinks, and for men, after about 5. (Moderate & Binge Drinking) This type of drinking can severely damage the liver, and cause serious mental problems effecting your memory and mood. Intense drinking in youth is a major risk factor for later alcohol dependence or alcoholism, because of its continued used throughout the years it can cause behavioral, emotional and social problems which has

Laylaa Shaheer

increased the risk of depression, suicidal thoughts and violence. In a behavioral since teen drinking leads to a more aggressive adolescence. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 39 percent of teenage drinkers exhibit serious behavioral problems and 31 percent suffer extreme levels of psychological distress. Regular alcohol consumption is also associated with higher levels of attention-deficit disorder, hyperactivity and aggressiveness. In a survey about adolescents and drinking revealed that heavy drinkers were 7.5 times more likely than non-drinkers to report that they had been arrested and charged with breaking the law. And the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Heavy says that, binge-drinking adolescents were five times more likely than non-drinkers to say that they had driven under the influence of alcohol in the past year, and were four times more likely to report that they had gotten behind the wheel under the influence of drugs. On an emotional level, the use of alcohol and its abuse can cause emotional problems such as anxiety or depression and increase the severity of these emotional problems.

Laylaa Shaheer

Studies show that eighth-grade girls who drink heavily are three times more likely to attempt suicide than girls in their grade who dont drink, and teenage girls aged 12-16 who drink are four times more likely than their nondrinking peers to suffer from depression. Alcohol related accidents are the leading cause of deaths among teenagers because the brain is undeveloped, and when introduced to a depressant, it dulls the little sensors and state of mind that we have caused to be less aware of our surroundings and our actions. There is very much real consequence when this happens, and not just with the law. Consequences such as car crashes occur due to poor and lack of judgment and no one to stop them. Alcohol related accidents are the leading cause of deaths among teenagers, about 4,700 people under age 21 die from injuries involving underage drinking. From hangovers to death from alcohol poisoning, suicide, homicides is just some of the many things that could also occur. On a more serious note drinking may and tend to lead to unprotected sex than those who dont drink and commit crimes such as rape or assault which can lead to more teen pregnancies, STDs and AIDs.

Laylaa Shaheer

Legally the laws on underage drinking are pretty much the same across the United States but vary a in different states. For the state of Louisiana Underage public possession and consumption of alcohol is not prohibited if the underage person is accompanied by a parent or guardian who is at least 21 years old meaning that as long as youre with someone of age you have permission to drink. (Drinking Age) Unlike in Alabama, where its said that, Underage consumption of alcohol is prohibited with no exceptions. (45 States That Allow Underage (under 21) Alcohol Consumption.) Teenagers can be charged for having

Preventing underage drinking has become a harder task in the recent years as alcohol is a growing trend amongst teenagers. One of the main reasons for this is because parents are always unaware of the childrens activities; I believe if parents better monitor and become more evolved in their childs lives we. Implying scare tactics through media content by technology having such a great influence on todays youth; meaning instead of commercials encouraging drinking lets get more that discourage the

Laylaa Shaheer

influence. A major thing that could really help decrease underage drinking is limiting the accessibility of alcohol. Underage alcohol use increases the risk of academic failure, conduct problems, illicit drug use. Solving this problem would be a big step in the right direction to making sure adolescents do not advance and continue the addictive dangerous practice. Nothing good comes from any shape or form of drinking and is overrated. This exercise is bad but its worse for adolescence under 21 because of the major brain developing thats still going on as this can cause future harm to their wellbeing. Underage is very much a real crime and should be taken very seriously with real consequences and repercussions. If we dont act we could very much well lose our youth.

Laylaa Shaheer

Bibliography
ProCon.org. "45 States That Allow Underage (under 21) Alcohol Consumption." ProCon.org. 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. Mayo Clinic Staff. "Underage Drinking: Talking to Your Teen about Alcohol." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic., 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2013). Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of national findings , NSDUH Series H-46, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4795. Rockville, MD: Author. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (n.d.). Underage drinking: A growing health care concern. "The Effects of Alcohol Abuse on Teens Why Casa Treatments Location Admissions." Casa Palmera. Casa Palmera, 13 Dec. 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. "Drinking Subtopics." Doctorpsychedelic. N.p., 22 June 2011. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. "Consequences of Underage Drinking." Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Johns Hopkins University., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. "Moderate & Binge Drinking." National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). NIAAA, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. "Fact Sheets - Binge Drinking." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 07 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.