Pledge to Drink Responsibly Miguel Ojeda, winner, 2017 RARWC Scholarship Essay Contest Winner The underage drinking epidemic has reached a staggering all-time high, and inevitably, one teen you know has already consumed an alcohol beverage. Today, drinking and driving is the leading cause of deaths, approximately 4,300 teens all around the United States just from alcohol abuse alone. Programs such as RAR and health class have done an excellent job of sending appropriate messages and igniting concerns of underage drinking. Despite what teens have learned throughout RAR programs and health class, teens are more adamant about drinking and are ignoring the crucial message: stop drinking. Because of the staggering high numbers of deaths and the underage drinking continuing, many laws have been regulated in hopes to end the epidemic. However, the question many people ask themselves is: why underage drinking is a nation wide problem in spite of legal and educational efforts? I would argue that, today’s media plays a significant great role in America’s underage drinking epidemic. Popular shows that feature teens consuming underage beverages without consequences such as “Shameless” and “Glee,” promote and, in effect, encourage underage substance abuse. The legal age to consume alcohol is 21 and over, however, in a “Excessive Alcohol Use” research project conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCO, high school students came just shy of third place among other age groups consuming the most alcohol. Upon asking my own friends and fellow classmates about their experiences with drinking, the majority state that they drank simply for enjoyment of a “good time.” Unfortunately, in today’s society, a teen’s definition of a “good time” means to drink and they are incapable to function properly. Especially because teens are using fictional characters from popular media as models for having a “good time.” So, how can we help prevent underage alcohol abuse? Well, if we go back to the statistics there are approximately four thousand deaths each year that is in one shape or another incorporated with teen substance abuse. If we were to put that in perspective of the victim’s family or friend’s point of view, the meaning would be more emotional. If we could reach out to teens about alcohol abuse in a more sentimental way, I feel that we would be able to touch them in a more positive way. These senseless deaths cause a great about of grief and devastation, and once we reach that level of grief and devastation, teens are more vulnerable and aware of danger.
I am proposing that by giving teens more personal and sentimental stories about deaths caused by alcohol abuse, we could be on a start to the process to ending alcohol abuse among teens. And then, just maybe, the feeling of grief will cause them to reevaluate their actions the next time they are wanting to go out for a “good time.� I am also proposing that the stars of programs that promote and encourage underage drinking use their abilities and platforms to make more emotional connections. American famous teen figures are ultimately at fault for teen substance abuse. Public figures, especially those featured breaking the law for entertainment media, should to prevent teen drinking. These announcements should feature real families and stories in order to forge an emotional response. RAR could pair their educational practices with celebrities and use their platform to promote real change. If family members have the proper awareness and are a little more involved with the prevention of underage drinking, less teens will be drinking for pleasure. With more awareness and more personalized stories from mentors and celebrities, the prevention of alcohol consumption will increase all around the nation, making communities safer and more responsible.