Youth Drinking In New Zealand

The legal age for drinking in New Zealand is eighteen, yet this does not stop teenagers as young as fourteen from drinking. New Zealand teenagers enjoy going to parties or social events and this usually involves drinking. Youth drinking causes many problems in society such as road accidents, the lowering of inhibitions, bodily harm and long term health quarrels. Another issue for teenagers is the "spiking" of drinks.

Teenagers are reckless when drinking. To get to the parties the teenagers may have to lie to their parents about their whereabouts. Consequently they could choose to drive while intoxicated, or get a ride with someone who is intoxicated so they do not get into trouble with their parents. This is dangerous not only for the driver and passengers in the car, but for other drivers and passengers on the road. There is a high death toll on the road caused by people driving while intoxicated and many of these are teenagers.

Another result of youth drinking is that it lowers your inhibitions. Teenage boys could take advantage of an intoxicated female and females being under the influence of alcohol could do things that they would not normally do. This could lead to more serious allegations such as rape. Being under the influence of alcohol could also cause you to become a different person, and create a different personality. You and the people around you could become accustomed to this different personality and you could feel you need to rely on alcohol to become this different person, doing things you would not usually do.

As well as lowering you inhibitions, drinking could lead to bodily harm and in some cases grievous bodily harm. Alcohol impairs your senses and could cause your brain to function incorrectly. You may have trouble walking, seeing, and talking. This could lead to small accidents such as falling down the stairs, or bigger accidents that cause more serious injuries or even death, such