Thomas Nieminen

UWRT 1101-003
Gabrielle Turgeon
Arguementative Research Paper Final
26 March 2017

Alcohol is for adults

Many deaths, accidents, and social irresponsibilities occur every year regarding young

teens and alcohol while the drinking age is at 21. Teen alcohol kills 4700 people each year and

car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. (Hingson) About a quarter of those people

have been drunk or drinking (Traffic Safety Facts 2013: Overview). Approximately 2000

underage drinkers die behind the wheel each year (Alcohol and Public Health). Alcohol counts

for one-third of all teenage auto fatalities (Hingson). High school students who use alcohol are

five time more likely to drop out of school. Statistics do not lie and show the reason why the

drinking age should remain at 21 and not be dropped down to 18. To resolve the issue and help

prevent future underage fatalities, the drinking age should stay at 21 and more programs should

be offered to kids of all ages to expose awareness to the facts about alcohol regarding teens and

how it can affect their lives.

One of the reasons why the drinking age should stay at 21 is because the brain does not

fully develop until the age of about 25. According to new research found by the University of

Rochester Medical Center in New York, the adult and teen brain are very different (Sathers).

Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, which is the brains rational part. It is the major

component to decision-making and understanding consequences of choices. Since the adult brain

has been fully developed at this time, they have been known to making good decisions and have

a better control on their life unlike teenagers. The teenage brain uses the amygdala, which deals

with the emotions and is not able to process information as well as adults. Before the age of 21

the emotional and decision-making part of the brain are still developing and not necessarily at

the same rate. Teenagers are much more likely to make bad decisions because they do not always

focus on the future but instead focus only on the moment. Since a big percentag of teenagers
already
Pagemake
| 2 bad decisions, giving them legal access to alcohol would only make the situation a

lot worse.
Another reason the drinking age should remain at 21 is because 4700 underage teenagers

die every year involving alcohol. Research showed that excessive alcohol use led to

approximately 88,000 death and 2.5 million years of potential lost life lost each year in the

United States in the years from 2006-2010 (Alcohol and Public Health). These statistics alone

should raise awareness to the issue. Life should not be taken for granted and teens should be able

to live out their dreams and lives. Letting young teens and underage people have access to a

substance that impairs the brain and has the ability to take so many lives is beyond any thought.

The ones who are involved with alcohol use, not only effect themselves but others. According to

a study done by Teresa Kellerman of Fasstar Enterprises, about ten innocent people are killed by

a drunk driver daily (Drinking and Driving). This statistic only focused on drunk drivers which

means even more are dying by other means by alcohol. These findings are horrifying to reflect

on knowing how many innocent lives can be taken because of some irresponsible teen who

should not be drinking alcohol.

This issue in society is one that can be controlled a lot better and should be because of the

negative effects it has on people. A lot of teenagers drink because it is cool to do something

illegal or their friends are doing it. They do not think for themselves in many cases which leads

to bad consequences. Responsibility has not been a key role in younger generations and many

causes are because of alcohol and other drugs used illegally. Drinking competitions have been a

staple in a lot of teenage party environments where young kids are present. Teens compete to

find out who can drink more alcohol and the loser is often shunned. This has led to many deaths

over the years and caused so much friction within the teens themselves and their relationships.

Alcohol has the power to destroy a relationship because of what it can do to the brain and body.
These
Pageare| the
3 kinds of goals many young teenagers have and it is really destroying them, the

culture and generations to come. Laws need to become stricter on consequences for underage

drinking and there needs to become more positive influence in the younger communities. As of

now, if someone gets caught with alcohol they may or may not have their license taken away and

you may have to pay some minor fines. The consequences are worse if you are operating a motor

vehicle. The punishment should be a suspension of license for more than a year and they should

be forced to take a program that teaches about the danger of alcohol and how to use it

responsibly. Once an underage drinker gets caught they shouldnt be allowed to go back on the

road until they have proved they have changed and are more aware of what can happen when

young teens use alcohol.

Keeping alcohol out of the hands of younger people saves lives. The drinking age was

changed from 18 to 21 in 1984. Ever since the change, there have been a lot less overall deaths

and homicides nationally. Most of them were vehicle related. According the the National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, increasing the minimum drinking age saved over 18,220

lives on just nations highways between 1984 and 1998. (Burger) These are huge numbers and

they speak for themselves. The law needs to stand firm or the numbers will get even bigger each

year and more deadly. Alcohol should not be easy for the underage teenagers to acquire. Anyone

old enough to buy alcohol can just purchase some for their younger underage sibling and that can

cause many problems. This is an issue that can not be solved in reality because no one can

possibly be everywhere watching every move. The solution is to just keep the consequences of

getting caught with alcohol more extreme to scare away younger people to stay away from it

until they are of age to drink responsibly.

Alcohol abuse is leading young ones to their own destruction and failure. High school

students who use alcohol are 5 times more likely to drop out and without an education
(Hingson).
Page | 4Alcohol use often leads to addiction which then, in many cases makes the mind

completely lose track of important attributes in their life which need focus and attention such as

goals and their future. Without goals in sight, there is no urge to succeed and no path to follow.

They then rely on alcohol to make their life better but it tends to ruin it even more creating a

destructive path for not only themselves but for others they come in contact with. Alcohol

destroys so many relationships yearly and it is obvious when you watch the news and read the

horrifying statistics.
Nothing in life can be completely stopped but there are definetely ways to slow or cut

down the issue. Young children all over the world should know how bad alcohol can be for

young people if taken irresponsibly or illegally and they should be aware of the statistics. This

would open a lot of eyes and would raise more awareness within families. This can be done in

programs for young kids and parents. They can be put into schools and learning centers across

the nation. The biggest threat people have regarding underage alcohol irresponsibility is not

knowing there is a problem. It must be must first known that a problem exists before there can be

strategies to fix it. Alcohol is a drink for responsible adults who can make responsible decisions.

Underage alcohol abuse has always been a leading cause of death and destruction every year and

will continue to if global awareness and helpful programs are not put into place for the younger

generations and families.

One main solution from all this research is to establish in depth programs into schools

across the world. They should be mandatory programs that require children to attend during

middle school. The reason to be mandatory is because if it was optional kids may or may not

even attend and everyone would need to attend. The awareness of underage alcohol and alcohol

abuse is one of the most important topics a young child should be informed about. Middle school

is the age where you start understanding more about the adult world and the dangers of
irresponsibility.
Page | 5 It tends to be a changing point to growing up and thinking more like an adult.

The eighth grade would be best for this program because they are students who are just about to

go into high school and this is a completely different environment than middle school. Students

are able to drive as early as tenth grade and have the freedom to do almost anything they please.

The program would be for a week and would implement all the important facts and statistics

regarding underage drinking and why it is dangerous. Students would go through lectures daily

and then be quizzed on the material at the end of the week. This would have a huge impact on the

upcoming generations and would certainly change the way they think and interact. This program

would be a life changing experience for the children and it would most certainly change the

childrens lives forever and make the world a safer place.

"Fact Sheets - Alcohol Use and Your Health." Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 July 2016. Web. 12 Mar. 2017

Hingson, Ralph and D. Kenkel. Social and Health Consequences of Underage Drinking. In press. As

quoted in Institute of Medicine National Research Council of the National Academies. Bonnie, Richard J.

and Mary Ellen OConnell, eds. Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. Washington,

DC: The National Academies Press, 2003.

Sather, Rita, and Amit Shelat. Understanding the Teen brain. Understanding the Teen Brain.
University of Rochchester, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

Stim, Attorney Rich. Rich Drunk Driving & Underage DUIs: The Sobering Facts. Drivinglaws.org.

Nola, 3 Jan. 2017. 2017. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

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