B 04 Features April 10, 2015
y the bottle Underage alcohol use at BHS by Alex Connor Newspaper Co-Editor
BASED ON STATISTICS BY CDC.GOV
15%
reported binge drinking
22%
28%
of 8th graders and
68%
of 12th graders had tried alcohol, and
rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol
of 8th graders and
35%
39%
drank some amount of alcohol and by age 18
70%
of teens will have had a drink
10%
of 12th graders drank during the past month
24%
of youth aged 12 to 20 years drink alcohol
*names have been changed to protect the identity of those interviewed According niaaa.nih. gov, by age 18, more than 70 percent of teenagers will have had at least one drink in their lifetime. Drinking less frequently than adults, when teenagers do drink alcohol, it is predicted by niaaa.nih. gov that they have more drinks, and 5,000 people under the legal drinking age will die from alcohol related deaths, including auto accidents, homicide, suicide, alcohol poisoning and other injuries each year. Under the influence of alcohol, teenagers are more likely to be involved with risky behaviors, are more likely to carry out or be the victim of a sexual assault, and have an increased risk of brain development problems. So, why, if these are all the possible outcomes, is drinking so popular with America’s youth? Is it because the thrill of not legally being able to outweighs the pros more than cons, or because it is just plain fun? In the 1980s when the drinking age changed from 18 to 21, it was done, in hopes, to reduce traffic deaths among young drivers. Since then, however, the youth still and will continue to drink. Drinking among teenagers is seen as a right of passage. Whether stealing from a parent’s liquor cabinets or purchasing a fake I.D., drinking is something that students see as “coming of age,” or their true transition to adulthood. About his first drink, senior John Doe*, 18 said, “It was the beginning of my junior year, I was 16. It was with a group of friends and we wanted to see what it was like.” Doe recalls bringing the alcohol to a party that had turned out to be busted and then going back to his place. Doe stated that he and his friends had all gotten intoxicated but remained safe by staying at his place overnight. Doe drinks occasionally now, once a month or every few weeks, and always make sure that he is in a safe environment or has a designated driver. The same goes for senior, Mark Smith*, 17. Smith had his first drink around 13 or 14 with a few of his family members and now only drinks rarely, if at all. Recalling his worst experience, Smith said that when he decided to drink over the summer while fighting a sickness, he had thrown up a lot. Luckily, however, Smith says that while drinking, he doesn’t believe that he’s ever been in a dangerous situation. Annually, 38 percent of the 5,000 deaths due to drinking are related to motor vehicles. Both Smith and Doe stated that they had never been a passenger in a car with a drunk driver or had been the driver themselves. “I’m conscious about that [drunk driving.] Never drink to where someone is at risk and always have a designated driver,” Doe said. About where they get their alcohol, Doe and Smith said that they get it from older friends, older co-workers, and/ or from a party. Mary Jane*, 18, also drinks recreationally. Her first time drinking, Jane did it for fun. “Damage is done,” Jane said. “My parents are going to hate me regardless.” Jane recalls the experience of drinking to always be different, and said jokingly to underclassmen, “don’t start partying until junior year.” In an article published by niaaa.nih.gov, “Scientists believe that this lengthy developmental period may help explain some of the behavior which is characteristic of adolescence—such as their propensity to seek out new and potentially dangerous situations. For some teens, thrill-seeking might include experimenting with alcohol. Developmental changes also offer a possible physiological explanation for why teens act so impulsively, often not recognizing that their actions—such as drinking—have consequences.” The same article also says, “An adolescent who expects drinking to be a pleasurable experience is more likely to drink than one who does not.” Meaning, that youth introduced to alcohol earlier in life are more likely to appeal to it in their teenage years. So, even though alcohol is illegal until the age of 21, teenagers aren’t going to stop trying to drink it. It’s become a norm to high schoolers, a gateway into the rest of their life. The difference is, knowing how not to abuse it and put themselves and others in a dangerous situation. “Don’t drink and drive kids, also, don’t drink and text and know your limits,” Doe said.