Abstract
The legal drinking age has a great influence on society. Drinking while legally been a child will increase the harm, they can do to themselves and others. Drinking underage has harmful consequences to the person that compromise their health and also consequences to the wellbeing of others about the drunk person actions. Approve twenty-one as a legal minimum drinking age is of importance to every society in general. The maturity and decisions during this age are different from those of younger people. On the other hand, strategies exist that could reduce the drinking of younger people and mention the importance of sobriety points. Ignition interlock is also mention explaining the use and importance of it in keeping those violating the law under control.
Introduction
Adolescent alcoholism is no less dangerous for modern society than stroke or cancer because this phenomenon affects a vast number of underage in the United States and abroad. Alcohol dependence means that a person is addicted because ethanol or ethyl alcohol is a drug. In the United States, it is allowed to consume alcohol only since the age of 21, but teenagers begin to drink much earlier, which means that the young body is faced with a severe load (Simmons‐Horton & Gibson, 2017).
Subsequently, the body of a child, systematically consuming alcohol, wears out and very quickly becomes decrepit. Such “young old men” are quite common, and the solution to the problem seems unlikely to most experts today. This essay raises the issue of the effects of alcohol on underage people, the consequences that a teenager and his or her environment will have to face, as well as possible ways out of addiction.
Mainbody
The causes of this problem can be various environmental factors. Alcohol dependence of parents of the teenager is one of them (Potter & Soren, 2016). According to statistics, if there is at least one dependent parent, this leads to the fact that the child tries hard drinks at an early age. Very often a teenager begins to drink alcohol to stand out and increase credibility, as well as to get into a company, often with a dubious reputation (Moss, 2016).
Also, the reason for drinking can be parental overprotection. In this case, the leading factor of the minor’s addiction to strong drinks is excessive parental care and an attempt to protect him or her from the outside world. The result is that the teenager does not know the reality and turns into a morally weak person, who is easily influenced by the outside, being in a different environment.
It is believed that a teenager can become an alcoholic in any family and under any circumstances of life if he or she has a genetic predisposition or he or she just decided to start drinking. In support of this statement, people who share this point of view argue that a drinking teenager can grow up even in a prosperous, full, and loving family. However, supporters of this hypothesis do not take into account the individual characteristics of the psyche of a minor, how easily he or she copes with stress, and what is his relationship with peers. It is true that even in affluent families, teenagers sometimes grow up drinking, but it only means that he or she was not ready for some aspects of reality.
The relationship in the family of a drinking teenager deteriorates (although family problems may be among the causes of alcohol abuse). He or she may have issues with law enforcement, the administration of educational institutions, and others (Patrick & Terry‐McElrath, 2017).
Usually, drinking teens have problems with society; there are also violations of public order, accidents, and injuries associated with alcohol consumption (Clark et al., 2016). There is a decrease in the working capacity of the population, additional costs for maintaining health, and the organization of specialized medical services. It is necessary to prevent teenage alcoholism, which should be carried out by parents, educational institutions, and other specialized social services.
Conclusion
This prevention should include an explanation of the harmful effects of alcohol on the body of a teenager. Also, mentors should teach children about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, increase their interest in education and cultural development. The essential part of prevention is to explain that there is no harmless alcohol for the child’s body, and the teenager should not drink until the age of 21 not because it is prohibited, but to protect his or her health and future.
References
Clark, D. B., Martin, C. S., Chung, T., Gordon, A. J., Fiorentino, L., Tootell, M., & Rubio, D. M. (2016). Screening for underage drinking and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, alcohol use disorder in rural primary care practice. The Journal of Pediatrics, 173, 214-220.
Moss, H. B. (2016). Viewing risky underage drinking through the lens of human development. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 42(4), 374-376.
Patrick, M. E., & Terry‐McElrath, Y. M. (2017). High‐intensity drinking by underage young adults in the United States. Addiction, 112(1), 82-93.
Potter, J. E., & Soren, K. (2016). Combating adolescent problem drinking: Are certain elements of parent-child communication about alcohol associated with less adolescent problem drinking? Journal of Adolescent Health, 58(2), S84-S85.
Simmons‐Horton, S. Y., & Gibson, C. (2017). Underage drinking. The Encyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Justice, 1-5.