Underage Drinking Research Paper

Research Paper

“Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of  underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drownings” (“Why Do Adolescents Drink, What Are the Risks, and How Can Underage Drinking Be Prevented?”). This statistic alone shows how dangerous underage drinking can be. It’s not just harmful to the person drinking, but it puts all others around that person in danger as well.

According to the article listed above, there are many health risks that underage drinkers can be faced with. Binge drinking increases these risks. Alcohol affects the brain and liver, and can also upset hormone balance and growth. Heavy drinking at a young age can affect an adolescent’s long-term thinking and memory because their brains are still developing and maturing. Young drinkers are also at risk of liver damage and hormonal imbalances during and/or before puberty. “Heavy drinking can weaken the heart muscle and contribute to weight gain” (“Too Much, Too Soon, Too Risky”). Another big risk when underage drinking is alcohol poisoning. “Alochol poisoning can occur when a person drinks a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time. About 50,000 people suffer from alcohol poisoning each year, and some die as a result. One of the most dangerous causes of alcohol poisoning is binge drinking, or imbibing five or more drinks in a short period of time. Teens and college students most of whom are first-time or inexperienced drinkers, are most likely to binge drink” (“Effects and Consequences of Underage Drinking”). Drinking at an early age can also put others in danger. When you’re under the influence, you can’t control all of you actions and you can potentially not only yourself, but others as well if you decide to drive or to become careless and violent around others. Underage drinking can also lead to problems in your future. “The younger you are when you start drinking the greater your chance of becoming addicted to alcohol at some point in your life” (“Too Much, Too Soon, Too Risky”). These health concerns can change a persons life dramatically as well as their families.

Legal consequences of underage drinking can affect your life just as much as the health consequences. “Drinking under age 21 is against the law. Penalties can include not getting a driver’s license on time, having the license removed for driving with any trace of alcohol on the body, losing a job, and losing a college scholarship” (“Too Much, Too Soon, Too Risky”). When you drink it also puts you at risk for driving under the influence. “If you’re under 21 years of age and caught driving with any measurable amount of alcohol in your blood, you may be arrested for Driving Under the Influence” (“Don’t Let Minors Drink”). Also, being under the age of 21 you cannot transport or purchase or attempt to purchase any alcohol. Many underage drinkers around high school and college ages may have possession of a fake I.D. They use this to get into bars, by alcohol at liquor stores, or buy alcoholic beverages at restaurants and events. “It is illegal for anyone under 21 years of age to knowingly and falsely represent himself or herself to be 21 or older to any licensed dealer, distributor, or other person, for the purpose of obtaining any liquor, malt, or brewed beverages. If you commit any of these offenses, you can lose your driver’s license for up to 90 days (starting on your 16th birthday, if you are younger), have to pay fines of up to $300 plus court costs, and/ or spend up to 90 days in jail” (“Don’t Let Minors Drink”).  

        In addition to health and legal consequences, underage drinking can cause many personal consequences as well. “If you drink underage, you could lose privileges and your parents’ trust, you could get expelled from your school, sports teams, or extracurricular activities, your grades and schoolwork can suffer due to brain cell damage, you could hurt your ability to get a job after graduation, you can more easily become a victim of date or acquaintance rape, your poor decision making can lead to pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, you can hurt the development of your coping skills and emotional maturity, and you will have a greater chance of addiction (alcoholism)” (Don’t Let Minors Drink”). Drinking puts you at a huge risk of behaving like you normally wouldn’t. Like I said before, it can cause you to become violent and lash out and get into fights, it can cause you to want to try other drugs which can lead to further health and legal and personal consequences, and it can cause you act like a completely different person. You’re emotions are at an all time high when you are under the influence and that can cause you to react to certain situations in a different and possibly risky and dangerous way.