Outline
Teenage Alcohol Abuse I. Introduction II. Abuse III. Health Risks of Abuse IV. Ways to Prevent Abuse V. Conclusion
Chase Wylie
Sharma
MW 9:25
In some ways, our present laws prohibiting teenage drinking are quite irrational. It is illegal to sell or serve alcoholic beverages to minors, yet we expect young people to take their places suddenly at eighteen or twenty-one in an adult culture where drinking is the norm. Somehow, miraculously, without any practice, they are supposed to know how to drink sensibly and befittingly. Fortunately or unfortunately, all the studies of what teenagers actually do, rather than what they are supposed to, show that teenagers do drink. The percentage of teenage drinkers increases steadily with age, until at eighteen the proportion of drinkers is approximately the same as in the adult population. The percentage of teenage drinkers varies depending on the region of the country. “One study, which showed 86 percent teenage drinkers in Nassau County, New York, and only 44 percent in rural Kansas, was typical of the general trend: teenagers in metropolitan areas are more likely to drink than those in rural regions” (Silverstein and Silverstein 78). Boys, who are traditionally given more freedom than girls, have a higher percentage of drinkers than girls. The difference is especially distinct in rural areas, and it decreases with age. Beer is the most commonly used alcoholic beverage among young people. Wine is second, and hard liquor last. Most teenagers who drink do so in their own home, or in the homes of friends, often under their parents’ supervision. Drinking at parties is another frequent practice. Studies of changes in teenage drinking practices after the legal age is passed show a comprehensible jump in the percentage of drinking in bars and other public places,
