Teen Alcoholism

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate March 2001

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How young is too young, when it comes to the consumption of alcohol? This question has aroused quite a commotion in our country. In an ideal world, the solution to the underage drinking problem would be to allow individuals 18 years and older to legally purchase and consume alcohol. In essence, the problem is not about young-adult drinkers in general, but adults who are incapable of drinking responsibly because of the laws that keep them away from alcohol until they are 21 years of age. Our nation must decrease the legal drinking age, in order to minimize juvenile alcoholism. I believe that our country can solve this problem by simply teaching the nations' youth responsibility and the importance of moderation in consuming alcohol, by clearly distinguishing between the youth and adults of our nation in terms of the legal and moral perspective, and by making and enforcing the alcohol laws in our nation as well as by using other nations as an example.

I believe that the United States should revise the legal drinking age to 18, and could make it work by simply teaching the nations' youth responsibility and the importance of moderation. If we could teach our young people responsibility rather than completely denying them access to alcohol, perhaps the problems that exist could be reduced. It is a well-known fact that kids drink. Middle schoolers, high schoolers and college freshman-they drink even though it is illegal. In some states they can be fined as much as $500 for consuming alcohol, yet they still drink. In fact, most students don't even reach the age of legality until their third year of college, yet most have had access to alcohol since high school, in uncontrolled environments. What prompts these juveniles to do this? Some say social pressure, others say...