Underage Drinking is a Real Issue in America

Teen drinking is a major problem in my community right now, because teens in my area feel as if they have to drink to be able to fit in. My dad has always told me “Teens and alcohol are never a good mix together”, because every time a teen drinks something goes wrong. The after effects of drinking can as a teen can affect everything and everyone around it.

As you grow older you, see a lot more damage from teen drinking.

Some of these include, aggressive behavior, injuries, violence, and death. Teens, through the ages 12 through 20, drink 11 percent of all alcohol consumed in the United States today. Although teens drink less than adults do, the effects on the teen is way more damaging, than it is to an adult. Teens consume more than 90 percent of their alcohol by binge drinking. Around my community, I have many of friends that like to go out every weekend and get drunk. An example of this would be like, me and my friend went to a party one time and I was the designated driver.

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When my friend started drinking, it was like a switch had been flipped and she could not stop herself from drinking. Teens feel as if they have to get drunk as soon as they show up to a party because they want to feel the sensation of just letting go.

Living in a small community, rumors can travel fast. Georgetown is a small, quite community. Parents raise their kids to behave as model citizens during the day, but do their parents teach them how to act at night? I asked a parent around my community what her thoughts on underage drinking was and the outcome was surprisingly eye opening.

The person I interviewed has been raised in Georgetown her whole life, so she can really give us a look on what really happens when teens drink. I started out by asking her “What would be your thoughts on teen drinking and what would happen if you caught your son doing this”. She responded with “Teen drinking is a serious issue because when I was in high school that’s all we did on weekends. We would go to parties, drink, dance, and by the time morning rolled around, we would not remember what we did that night”. Then, she said “If my son was to ever drink at a young age, I would rather it be at home where I know he is safe, rather than at a party”.My last question for this person was “Would you take all of that back” and she replied with “I am ashamed of who I was back then, and looking back at all the things done, I now see why people use to look at me the way they did”.

Drinking can lead to poor decision and could lead to mistakes that could possibly ruin your future, including drinking and driving, sexual activity, and aggressive behavior. Teens who drink are more likely to carry out or be the victim to physical or sexual assault after drinking, which could also lead to unwanted pregnancy. Drinking as a teen may trouble in school or with the police. Drinking alcohol also is associated with the usage of drugs and sometimes teens can become abusive to these drugs. Research shows that a teens brains can keep developing well into their 20s, so drinking alcohol can alter this development, because potentially affecting both brain structure and function. This may cause learning problems and can make the brain more dependent to alcohol. This is just one risk when people start drinking young and drink heavily.

As children become more dependent on themselves, they start to feel the urge to try new things and take risks. Teen drinking is something that attracts many teens all across America because when they watch TV and see their favorite celebrity drink and partying then they feel the urge to drink. Many teens want too or have already drank alcohol, but they do not fully understand the consequences of this decision. Consequences are something that happens when the wrong choice was made, so when you make the decision to drink, then you risk your life and someone else's. There are so many reasons why young teens drink alcohol ,like, peer pressure, independence, and stress. Kids today think that “If I drink then I won't have to have all the worry and stress on my shoulders”. These teens need to realize that the older you get the more responsibility they have.

Women’s drinking patterns are different from men’s . When it comes to how much and how often they drink, a women’s bodies react differently to alcohol than a man's body would.That means women face more health risks from alcohol than men do. Many of these factors that make women different than a man are, women have a lower drinking ability than a man and women have less water in their bodies. Woman are more prone to health risk than a man. This is because in today's society the man thinks its okay to roofie a girls drink and take advantage of her. Not all men do this, but it's so common in today's society. Women are more likely to become ill with liver damage, heart disease, breast cancer, and pregnancy.

Underage drinking is a real issue in America right now because teens think that drinking will make them cool. Drinking is a serious issue and it can not be taken lightly. Kids are going to parties, getting drunk, and being taken advantage of. Teen girls are getting raped by being drugged. Teen males are getting killed because they think they can drink and drive. People are dying because teens think that drinking is going to make them the next best thing, but in reality you're killing your body. You could also be killing other people. Teenagers like to say “I’m not that drunk, I can drive myself home”, but when they actually get behind the wheel everything on them is impaired. Their vision, motor skills, and balance are all parts of the body that becomes impaired while being drunk. Those are all the major necessities that you need to have if you are going to get behind the wheel.

Drinking is the thing you do when you just want to forget. You want to forget what had happened that day or you just want to relax and have a fun night, but drinking is not fun. Drinking makes you depressed. Drinking makes you sit there and contemplate on how bad your life is. Drinking makes you do things that you regret. Teens do not understand what drinking actually does to people. Drinking can make someone kill themselves or someone else. Do you really want that guilt on your shoulder because all you wanted was too “forget everything”. Most of my friends drink, and it is hard to get away from in a small community, but I finally realized what I have been needing to do to help that situation. All I did was, get new friends. Real friends do not peer pressure you into doing something you do not feel comfortable doing. They would respect you and your decision. Nowadays, kids think that their parents are just being mean and do not want them to go anywhere, but the truth is, they just love you. They care about you coming home safely every night, they care a lot more than you think. They love you so much that they are willing to do everything possible to make you stay home so they know your safe and nothing can harm you. Parents do not want to get a phone call at three o'clock in the morning saying “there has been an accident”. Your parents want the world for you. You just have to let them in so they can give it to you. Everyone cares, nobody is going to judge you for a few mistakes because most likely once in there life they messed up and was forgiven. Just know that making one mistake will not hurt you, it is what you do after that. Eleanor Roosevelt once said “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts”. If anyone you know is having trouble with alcohol related issues, tell them you love them, because right now that is probably the thing they really need.