For many teenagers, high school is a massive step into becoming a young adult. They are now old enough to get their own driver’s license, apply for jobs, stay out late, and take on a lot more responsibility. Because of the amount of freedoms and grown up activities they are now allowed, teenagers often forget that they are not yet adults and partake in such activities that are costly not only to themselves, but to other people around them. Drinking and driving has been a problem facing the nation for many years. The leading cause of teenage death is a mixture of alcohol and the allowance to get behind the wheel while intoxicated. Underage drinking and driving, though a slowly decreasing problem in the US, is still a huge issue that a little positive influence along with awareness can easily help prevent. Alcohol consumption by an adolescent is not only frowned upon but also extremely dangerous both mentally and physically. The brain of a teenager is still a developing mechanism much more fragile than the brain of an adult. Drinking triggers parts of the brain that effect anything from judgment and developmental problems to social, physical, and emotional well-being. Because teenagers are not done growing, their blood swells up with the alcohol much faster, making them vulnerable. Even the smallest amount can be fatal for them. ”A 0.02 alcohol content in a teen driver's blood… can result from drinking one beer, one wine cooler, or one shot of alcohol” (“Tougher Driving Laws”). This level of BAC, or blood-alcohol content, is typically the amount were teenage driving becomes impaired. For this reason, it is illegal for anybody to drink or supply drinks to minors under the age of 21 in the United States. Kowalski reports that app... ... middle of paper ... ...s too young to drink?" Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication 1 Apr. 1996: 3. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. Kowalski, Kathiann M. "Alcohol: a real threat: alcohol can harm anyone--even teens who don't see themselves as problem drinkers." Current Health 2, a Weekly Reader publication Dec. 2003: 6+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 31 Dec. 2013. "MADD. Online." Training Aug. 2004: 13. Student Resources in Context. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. "Teach teens dangers of underage drinking. (Your Life)." USA Today [Magazine] May 2002: 8. Student Resources in Context. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. "Tougher driving laws for teens?" Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication 25 Sept. 1995: 3. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Using fear, while not aggressively, Silveri highlights the fact that excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading leading cause of preventable death. The author discusses this topic in a way that seems to be to scare anybody she is trying to convince. A mother reading this could worry about her daughter, or a young man in college who drinks often could take his drinking habits far more seriously after reading something like that. Also, ending the article on an optimistic note, she allows the reader to have some hope. Silveri mentions the reduction of maladaptive alcohol use through better recognition of the negative tendencies that comes with alcohol abuse in adolescents. (Adolescent Brain Development and Underage Drinking in the United States: Identifying Risks of Alcohol Use in College
According to Center for Disease Control and Protection, about 4,700 people under age twenty one die from injuries involving underage drinking every year. Illegal alcohol consumption has been a major problem with high school students around the nation. Lowering the drinking age from twenty one would result in major consequences for America’s adolescents. By lowering the drinking age, alcohol would be more accessible to those who choose to participate in underage drinking. The desire to drink for teens and young adults between the ages of fourteen and twenty can be caused by peer pressure or an act of rebellion. One beer might not seem like a big deal at the time, but it could lead to a life of addiction and alcoholism.
Each year, about 5,000 teens are killed or injured in traffic crashes as a result of underage drinking and about 1,900 are due to car accidents. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation) In the newsletter, safety in numbers by National highway traffic administration and U.S department of transportation “Of all the people who died in motor vehicle crashes during 2012, 31 percent died in crashes involving a drunk driver, and this percentage remains unchanged for the past 10 years” (Vol 1, 2013). Crashes involving alcohol include fatal crashes in which a driver had a BAC of .01 g/ ld. or higher (Underage Drinking Statistics)). Deadly crashes involving alcohol are twice as common in teens compared to people 21 and older. This is because teens’ judgment skills are harmed more by alcohol. Teens who drink not only risk hurting themselves, they risk hurting their friends, family, and even strangers when driving intoxicated. Teens and parents both need a strong reminder that underage drinking is illegal and can have disastrous consequences. According to Health Day News, “one study found that in 2011, 36 percent of U.S. college students said they'd gone binge drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting) within the past two weeks, as compared to 43 percent of college students in 1988. Since 2006, the current law has reduced the rate of drunk driving crashes among young Americans” (Preidt, 2014 and DeJong, 2014). This proves that lives have been saved after the legal drinking age increased. According to an article in Time Magazine called “Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?”, “lowering the drinking age to 18 would stop infantilizing college students, but it would probably kill mor...
According to Andrew Herman, “Each year, 14,000 die from drinking too much. 600,000 are victims of alcohol related physical assault and 17,000 are a result of drunken driving deaths, many being innocent bystanders” (470). These massive numbers bring about an important realization: alcohol is a huge issue in America today. Although the problem is evident in Americans of all ages, the biggest issue is present in young adults and teens. In fact, teens begin to feel the effects of alcohol twice as fast as adults and are more likely to participate in “binge-drinking” (Sullivan 473). The problem is evident, but the solution may be simple. Although opponents argue lowering the drinking age could make alcohol available to some teens not mature enough to handle it, lowering the drinking age actually teaches responsibility and safety in young adults, maintains consistency in age laws, and diminishes temptation.
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, and about one-third of those are alcohol related. Don’t be that person that lets a drunken driver on the streets; be the difference.
The article "Alcohol Abuse is a Serious Problem for Teenagers," was written by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The article states, "Nearly four million young people suffer from alcohol dependence," and the average age at which children begin to drink is as early as 13. The article goes on to say that the number of children who experiment with alcohol has been rising steadily over the years. The article points out the unfortunate effects of drinking which range from an array of physical illnesses like liver problems and cancer. From the article we learn that because teenagers tend to indulge in binge drinking, they are at higher risk to suffer the consequences of alcohol consumption. According to the article these consequences include developmental problems like lack of growth, a reduced ability to learn, and to psychological problems like depression and suicidal tendencies. Alcohol abuse in turn leads to social problems which include dropping out of school, robbery, and "risky sexual behavior." We learn that alcohol serves as a "gateway-drug," leading to more addictive drugs like cocaine. The article substantiates this claim by citing a study conducted by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. The article also touches on the problem of alcohol used by parents though the primary focus of this piece is about teenage drinking. The purpose of the article is to jolt readers into an awareness of the magnitude of the problem of teenage drinkiing. Most people know that teenagers like to experiment, try the new and forbidden, but the Center assumes that no one is fully aware of how serious this problem can be if it is not addressed.
The use of alcohol by adolescents is implicated in about one third of all fatal crashes involving teens.
"Young People's Drinking." International Center for Alcohol Policies Meetings & News Press Releases Welcome to ICAP. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .
It really is no secret that if the minimum legal drinking age were lowered, a large number of teens would then drink for perhaps the first time. “The age group with the most drivers involved in fatal crashes with Blood Alcohol Content levels of .08 or higher during 2011 was the twenty-one to twenty-four-year-olds” (“National Highway Traffic Facts”). Young adults are just as irresponsible at eighteen as they are at twenty-one, maybe even more irresponsible. The teenagers will indulge themselves on what they feel is a luxury the first chance they get. The young adults abuse the alcohol, and then go driving because even at twenty-one through twenty-four they are still not as responsible. If the age is lowered to eighteen, many eighteen-year-olds will go out and drink alcohol for the first time. The age group may rise to number one in fatal crashes. The National Highway Traff...
Through out the years teenagers have been driving without a license. In this century teenagers are decreasing to get their license (Teens getting their driver license. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2013, from ). Teenagers tend to think that just because they know how to pump gas press the brakes and rea...
The growing awareness of alcohol hazards has made people more cautious of their drinking habits, particularly young adults. At present young adults have the highest prevalence of alcohol consumption than any other age group. They also drink more heavily, experience more negative consequences, and engage in more harmful activities, specifically drunk driving. Although surveys have documented a decline in recent years, consumption rates remain highest from late teen years to the late twenties (Johnston1-3). Despite the long-term decline since 1982 in alcohol related traffic deaths, a 4 percent increase occurred between 1994 and 1995 among young adults age 21 and over (Hingson 4). As alcohol-impaired driving persists, legal and community initiatives intervene to help reduce the problem, as well as, continuing research on possible solutions.
Alcohol abuse is the most common problem, nowadays. In fact, majority of people drink alcohol repeatedly to the point where they have difficulty to stop. Statistics show that, as much as, “40% of college students report drinking five or more drinks in one episode” (Walters & Baer, 2006). Alcohol has become more popular over the years as advertisements, simultaneously with commercials of it, filled the media. It also is easily accessible and cheap in comparison to other psychoactive substances. On the other hand, alcohol safety awareness programs are barely noticeable. My research will present how alcohol and its abuse gets into people’s lives and how it influences their physical and mental health, as well as, social existence.
Since teenage drivers are often discriminated against for their driving skills, improvements are being looked into. A survey on news stands today shows, “61 percent of teens admit to risky driving habits” (“Teens Risky Driving” 1). Most teens view their driving as safe; however, a large proportion of teens are dangerous to others on the road. While the rates of dangerous teenage drivers are a high hazard, consequences are in store. Because of dangerous habits teenagers pursue on the road, reckless teenage driving has become a number one killer. Even though teenage drivers complete a driver education program in order to obtain a permit before a full license, teenagers need improvement on being aware of their actions and others while traveling on the road.
As a result of underage drinking, 5,000 adolescents under the age of 21 die annually due to intoxication (taking motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides, and other injuries while intoxicated into consideration) (paragraph 2). Later in life, underage drinkers are more likely to develop alcoholism, poor performance in school, and risky sexual behavior (paragraph 43). Although this research is not opposed to my argument, there is an importance to acknowledging it as proof of dangerous, underage drinking occurring significantly regardless of whether it is illegal. More importantly, this research stems from adolescents drinking without the supervision of adults and in uncontrolled quantities. Since adolescents must wait a long period of time to drink legally, I believe they fear they must take advantage of drinking opportunities by excess drinking and risk of safety due to their restriction to alcohol. Based on this mindset, I believe exposure to alcohol at a younger age in controlled environments would not only decrease underage drinking in large quantities, but injury and death related to intoxication, as
“Drinking and driving is very dangerous, particularly for adolescents! Since 1991, drinking and driving among high school students has decreased around 54%. Even though less teenagers are drinking and driving, it is still a major problem. After all, secondary school students still drive after drinking around 2.4 million times each month. According to a survey, 85% of teenagers in secondary school who reported drinking at least 5 mixed beverages in a few hours and driving after in the previous months. In 2010, 1 out of 5 teenage drivers associated with deadly crashes had some liquor in their body. The vast majority of these drivers (81%) had BACs* higher than the set limit for adults. It is unlawful for grown-ups to drive with a BAC of .08%