11/24/09
John Coulter
Teen Alcohol Abuse Teen Alcohol Abuse Underage drinking has made a negative impact in the United States. According to http://www.focusas.com/ Alcohol.html “The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years for boys and 13 years for girls.” “By age 14, 41 percent of children have had least one drink.” “The average age at which Americans begin drinking regularly is 15.9 years old.” “Teens who begin drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21.” “The three leading causes of death for 15- to 24-year-olds are automobile crashes, homicides and suicides -- alcohol is a leading factor in all three.” “Annually, more than 5,000 deaths of people under age
21 are linked to underage drinking.” There are many bad things happening to our youth because of alcoholism. Our youth are the future of our country and if people are abusing alcohol at a young age they are more likely to have problems later on in life. My mom has always said to me that “the later you start drinking the less likely you are to have a problem with alcoholism later in life.” Moderate use of alcohol is not harmful for adults however even moderate use by teens can harm the adolescent brain. The picture below shows the brain activity difference between a 15 year old non drinker and a 15 year old heavy drinker. There are many programs aimed at trying
Minors Buying Alcohol and Fake ID’s There has always been a problem with minors buying alcohol but I believe it’s at an all time high. While I was researching I found out some of the consequences for selling fake id’s or even using fake ID’s. Some of those consequences are losing your drivers license for up to a year, being fined up to $2,500, and spending up to
12months in jail. “It is illegal to use another's identification as one's own.” If you were to use someone else’s identification there is an even bigger consequence than selling a fake id or using a fake id. Hopefully these harder consequences will help cut down on people trying to sell fake ID’s
to put a stop to teenage drinking such as, Mothers against Drunk Driving, Students against Drunk Driving, education in school, and in our area Click for Glick. I believe that we need to have stronger punishment for kids trying to drink under the legal age and also stronger punishment for adults who supply or sell alcohol to kids. There also needs to be more supervision on kids who are trying to buy alcohol. It’s hard to say what will put a stop to underage drinking but as long as we’re trying we can INSIDE THE ISSUE
Teen Alcohol Abuse
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Minors Buying and Fake ID’s 1 Drunk Driving
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Suicide from Alcohol Abuse 2 How Sports Can Delay Teen 2 Drinking Parents Can Help Too...
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Bibliography and Resources 4
Drunk Driving
Drunk driving has killed way too many people in this world and we need to have a lot stricter punishments. As of November 23rd 11,637 people have died from drunk driving in the year 2009 so far. I believe this number is just ridiculous and we need to put a stop to drinking and driving. I remember my sister telling me that when one of her friends has a party the parents would make you drop your keys in a bowl at the start of the party and then the parents would keep everyone’s keys, so you either had to spend the night or take a cab if you wanted to leave. I think the parents were trying to prevent drunk driving accidents or just stupid mistakes. A better solution would have been to not let these kids drink but at least the parents were being responsible about drinking and driving.
Suicide From Alcohol Abuse and How Sports Can Delay Teen Drinking Most teens don’t know that alcohol is a depressant; they think it’s something that will ease their pain and make it easier for them to live life and fit in with their friends. Alcohol can cause suicide because it’s a depressant and while you’re drinking it makes your problems seem a lot worse. “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”
How Sports Can Delay Teen Drinking
Sports can delay teen drink- be as successful as possible ing because no athlete wants and perform to the best of to jeopardize their chances their ability. of being a successful athlete. The reason I don’t drink is because I know it’s stupid and will hurt myself as an athlete and as a student. Nothing good comes from drinking and I know the best athletes in our school are the ones who don’t drink. Your body cannot perform at a high level if you’re hung over or you drink on regular basis. Another reason people don’t drink is because they don’t want to let their teammates down. They want to
“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem”
Parents Can Help Too...
There are many things parents can do to discourage underage alcohol use. Here are a few things that you should know. “Never buy alcohol for your teen, their friends, or anyone under 21. Do not allow your teen to have parties with alcohol on your property. Network with other parents, and let them know that you do not want alcohol available. Tell your teen that it is against the family rules for them to drink alcohol. Talk and listen to your children. Be straightforward and honest with them about the real impact of alcohol. If you choose to use alcohol, use it responsibly. Remember, you are your children’s role model. Let law enforcement know about any establishments or people providing alcohol to anyone under 21.� There are also many programs geared toward educating kids to not use alcohol like Mothers against Drunk Drivers. The more kids know about the dangers of alcohol and what damage it can do to your brain and your life, the less likely they are to use alcohol before they are of legal age.
Bibliography
Bibliography http://www.focusas.com/Alcohol.html - Average age a kid drinks November 22nd http://www.breakingthecycles.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/susan_tapert_fmri_data.jpg - picture of brain damage from alcoholism November 22nd http://45k.me/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/drunk-driver.jpg - crashed car November 22nd http://www.firsteagle.com/tdd.htm - drinking while driving articles and deaths November 22 nd http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/handcuffs-300x241.jpg - picture of handcuffs November 22nd http://www.abc.state.va.us/Education/fakeid/fakeid.htm - fake id’s November 23rd http://www.teensuicide.us/articles8.html - Teen suicide November 23rd http://pragmaticideas.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/teensuicide.jpg - teen suicide picture November 23rd http://www.co.washington.mn.us/info_for_residents/public_health/alcohol_and_other_drugs/supplying_alcohol_to_minors/ - parent tips for getting alcohol away from their child November 23rd http://www.foodmag.com.au/Uploads/PressReleases/food/Images-20080825/budweiser.jpg - picture of Budweiser bottle November 23rd http://www.healthcareconnectionoftampa.com/ - rehab facility website November 23rd Charles Fritz Baker, Jr – Person who gave me background information about substance abuse November 23 rd Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book- stories about people recovering November 23 rd
Resources
Missouri Physicians Health Program 680 Craig Road, Ste. 308 Charles Fritz Baker, Jr., St. Louis Regional Coordinator Work - 1-800-958-7124x24 Cell - 313-4498 Charles Fritz Baker, Jr is a family friend who helps people who have substance abuse problems find rehab facilities. He helped me by giving me background information about alcoholics. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 2683 S. Big Ben blvd. 64143 Work – 314-647-3677 Alcoholics Anonymous has meetings for adults and teens to help them conquer their addictions. This helped me because their organization has a lot of basic information about alcoholism. My school resource is my mother Elizabeth Coulter 63 Briarcliff 63124 Cell- 314-941-2883 I chose my mom because she’s done a lot of research on the subject because she’s already raised three kids to not drink underage and be responsible teens. http://www.healthcareconnectionoftampa.com/