Underage Drinking

At this moment there are 301,525,028 people in the United States. How many of those people do you think are under the age of 21? Within that group, how many do you think drink alcohol illegally? We can say from personal experience that at least 95% of youth under the age of 21 drink alcohol regularly or have at least tried a beverage or two at one point or another before they turned or will turn 21. The truth is that each year, approximately 5,000 youth under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking.

Alcohol use by persons under age 21 is a major public health problem. Despite laws against underage drinking in all fifty States and despite decades of Federal, State, and local efforts to reduce underage drinking, alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States. In a recent survey, the most popular form of alcohol for teenagers is beer, followed by wine coolers and "hard" liquor (Doweiko, 307). Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people ages 12 to 20 years drink almost 20% of all alcohol consumed in the United States (Foster SE, et al. 989 - 995). As children move from adolescence to young adulthood, they come across dramatic physical, emotional and lifestyle changes. Developmental transitions, such as puberty and increasing independence, have been associated with alcohol use. Peer drinking and peer acceptance of drinking have also been associated with adolescent drinking. So in a sense, just being an adolescent may be a key risk factor not only for starting to drink, but also for drinking dangerously.

Underage drinking is deeply imbedded in the American culture. Underage youth find it relatively easy to acquire alcohol (Wagenaar et al., 1996). While individuals under the legal purchase age obtain alcohol from a variety of sources, the National Academy of Sciences Reducing Underage Drinking Report, states that parties, friends and adult purchasers are the most frequent sources of alcohol among college students and older adolescents while younger adolescents often obtain alcohol from family members (www.centurycouncil.org). Alcohol use continues to be regarded by many people, as a normal part of growing up. According to a 2004 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, one in five teens reported drinking alcohol that was provided by a parent or a friend's parent at a party. Yet underage drinking is dangerous, not only for the drinker, but also for society, as evident by the number of alcohol-involved motor vehicle accidents, homicides, suicides and other injuries. Underage drinking has proven to be a complex, persistent social problem that has resisted an easy solution even as new research over the past decade has increased our understanding of how underage alcohol use threatens the immediate and long-term well being of the individual and others.

Schools and institutions of higher education should be made aware of the resources to educate students about the dangers of underage drinking. It is interesting to note that most high school and college students spend more on alcohol than they spend on books, soda, and even food. Appropriate penalties for underage drinking should be incorporated into existing disciplinary structures. Working to restrict access to alcohol by those under the legal age should be everyone's goal, however, the battle must be fought on many fronts. Parents and other adults must be held accountable, individuals under the legal purchase age must understand that the consequences of underage drinking could be life threatening, licensed retailers must be committed to responsible sell of alcohol to minors and law enforcement and public officials must focus their resources and manpower in a comprehensive approach.

In Pennsylvania it is illegal for a person to provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. A violation of this law is a 3rd degree misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine of 41,000 - $2,5000 and/or up to 1 year of imprisonment on the first offense and a fine of $2,500 and up to 1-year imprisonment for subsequent offenses. In Pennsylvania it is a violation of the law for anyone under the age of 21 to possess alcohol, purchase alcohol and consume alcohol and is therefore a summary offense punishable by parental notification, a driver's license suspension of 90 days and possible alcohol evaluation and education or treatment at the offender's expense. In Pennsylvania the penalty for violating the "Zero Tolerance" law is a fine of $500 to $5000, 48 hours to 6 months in jail, attendance in Alcohol Highway Safety School and license suspension for a first offense.

So how are the police involved with underage drinking? Police are now using minors with increasing frequency at restaurants and nightclubs as they seek to crack down on businesses selling alcohol to those under the age of 21. Minors have also been used regularly in the past -particularly at city liquor stores. Plainclothes officers are also walking into bars and restaurants looking for people who appear to be underage and asking them for their IDs. And officers have posed as bouncers. There are three types of penalties that are enforced due to violations of minimum-age purchase laws. The first is an Administrative penalty, which involve restrictions, suspensions, or revocations of business licenses if retailers do not follow state and local standards of conduct. The second is a Criminal penalty, which apply to the person who sells

alcohol to the minor. This may result in fines, probation, or imprisonment, and they may be noted on a criminal record. The third is a Civil penalty which is a lawsuit for monetary damages

for any harm caused by minors that are served alcohol by retailers.

An underage teenager can get served in a bar when the bartender does not check for identification but there are so many undercover cops that will catch them. Police officers have also been known to come into a bar and recheck everyone for proper identification. Most underage drinkers do not understand this. While they are having their illegal drink, they can very well be busted at anytime. Large monetary penalties for providing alcohol to minors can be very effective to groups and that regularly host parties where underage drinking occurs for example: fraternities, sororities, field parties, and even after prom/homecoming parties. Issuing a fine to the responsible adult for each underage guest that is found drinking at a party can be financially devastating.

One jurisdiction issued 70 different monetary fines at one event, resulting in a fine of over $20,000 to the host. The more the police enforce this type of punishment the less likely alcohol will be given to minors. While some officers are doing their jobs and enforcing the law of underage drinking, there are some