Goodpaster 1 Instructor: WR 60 23 October 2013 Alcohol: Emotional Effects Caused From Under Aged Drinkers This day in age; more and more kids don’t think about the damaging effects alcohol can do to a young adult’s body and mind. I am not speaking of the physical damage that it may cause, but rather the emotional turmoil that may occur. Consequences are always inevitable and may change a person’s life forever. To drink under age because it is seen as “cool” is not a good enough reason to risk changing one’s life forever. Drinking alcohol before the age of Twenty-one is not healthy.
Majority of the college students, think that now that they have more freedom, they are able to do whatever they feel like including binge drinking to feel like a true adult. “Researcher Henry Wechsler says that the study, which appeared in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), found that 50 percent of male students and 39 percent of female students are binge drinkers” (College Students as Binge Drinkers, 1995). When college students attend parties, they end up drinking excessively, but most of the time there are no reasons behind this social endeavor. There may be some college students that think they have had enough to drink, but when they see their other friends pick up another cup, they automatically have the instinct themselves to grab something else to drink. Peer Pressure is the number one factor for college students to binge drink.
Plus teens wouldn’t be as broke, because they are not getting in trouble by the cops and getting minors. By getting a minor, it can ruin their whole life. If one got a minor in college, it may prevent them from getting a very good job in the future, it they were to look at their record. Which they may think is very sad, because one mistake when someone is young can ruin their whole life. But people that vouch for the drinking age to be lowered to 18 tend to forget that the body and brain is not fully developed
Most people thinks that it makes no sense that you, at 18, have the adult mind to join the armed forces, but you are not old enough to have a drink before you go off to war. This could be considered an idiotic reason and this reason is not good enough. You may hear that it will loosen you up and help you relax. What you may not hear is that it can damage the part of your brain that controls coordination, memory, judgment and decision-making. Drinking makes you dumber!
People find it bizarre that the tobacco age is 18, but the drinking age is 21? People care more about alcohol than they do tobacco products, but tobacco is one of the leading killers in the U.S. today. Allowing 18 year olds to start ingesting tobacco products, such as cigarettes or chewing tobacco, at the age of only 18 will give them an earlier start to becoming addicted, and in the long run, shorten their life span. Some think it is absurd letting people smoke, but they cannot go out with friends and drink. Smoking and drinking are both addictive and can have negative effects if used improperly, but smoking one cigarette is more harmful than drinking one beer.
Why? Is the main question asked? Many Americans believe the underage drinking age percentage would drop if the age is lowered. Some reasons of why Americans under 21 drink: peer pressure, enjoyment, etc. But the main reason for doing so is “breaking the law.” 87% of high school seniors have used alcohol.
Most college students enjoy drinking, which caused the issue on alcohol to become the most frequently talked about in public as at least half the students are still underage to drink. The issue of the minimum drinking age affects everyone from teenagers to adults and the government. The issue is widely known about but not accepted or debated by many openly. All the laws on accessibility of alcohol concern safety; the main issue is when the government feels that citizens are of a responsible age to drink. The discussion concerning the minimum drinking age divides people into three opinions: those who want to keep the minimum age at 21, those who want to lower the age and others who want to raise the age or prohibit alcohol in general.
Binge Drinking: A Health Psychology Review The world today is focused on getting the ultimate experience. This phenomenon is seen across many age groups and teenagers are not immune. Whether it is their first date or first day in high school, teens are always eager to try something different or new. Alcohol is no exception. Unfortunately, many of these underage drinkers often abuse alcohol (Chikritzhs, Jonas, Stockwell, Heale, & Dietze, 2001).
Abstract Binge drinking has become a major problem in youths in the United States. Is it because most children are not informed about alcohol?Other countries outside of the United States do not seem to have this problem. Is it that their youth are better suited for alcohol? But I believe it is to be on the strict laws of the United States. Josh Smith July 1, 2013 Dr. Gwee CMPS 290 I’ll Drink to That In Portugal, the drinking age is 16, but for America, it is 21.
As stated in the textbook, Sociology Now, “Around thirty-one percent of college students qualify for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and over six percent of students for a diagnosis of alcohol dependency”. Many of the problems with alcohol abuse on college campuses in America is due to the institution of binge drinking at parties as well as “kick-backs”. Kick-backs are a smaller and more toned down party, that usuallyjust consists of close friends. Binge drinking is the consumption of large amounts of alcohol in a short amount of time; it is defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row for males and four or more drinks for females (Kimmel). Due to this widespread phenomenon of binge drinking, American college students spend an average of over 5.5 billion dollars a year on alcohol.