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Underage Drinking Research Paper

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As children grow, so does their desire to take risks. One of these risks includes alcohol. Underage drinking is a serious health problem that is continues to grow in popularity. According to “Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services”, in 2013,the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 23% of youth aged 12 to 20 years drink alcohol and 14% reported binge drinking in the past 30 days” (Administration). Teens are very curious and would rather ignore all of the negative influences around them. An unpleasant home life, the influence of media, and peer pressure can lead to underage drinking and a damaged life. One of the main reasons for underage drinking is family influence. Family and home life plays a huge role. According …show more content…
The alcohol industry directly aims their advertisements towards minors by having these alcohol advertisements being placed in different types of media that are popular among adolescents. Teenagers are constantly shown these advertisements that make drinking appear to be cool and fun. For example, these advertisements will show “popular” teens at parties with alcohol in their hand dancing and having fun. When teens see this, they believe that drinking will enhance their social life and make them more popular. Hollywood celebrities also play a key role in media influence. Many teens spend a lot of their time watching their favorite celebrities every move. With several celebrities today openly drinking, teens are further influenced to drink. Seeing these celebrities drink makes teens believe that it will be okay for them to do drink as well. These teens will grow up believing that they want to be exactly like these celebrities. Media and celebrities are not a good …show more content…
While peer pressure plays a major role in underage drinking, there is not a specific explanation why teens start to drink. Teens that have friends who drink have a greater chance of drinking themselves. Teenagers feel that drinking will help them become more popular and create new friends. They try it regardless, ignoring the effects and consequences. These teens only want to be accepted by their peers. They desire to fit in so much that are willing to jeopardize their lives with one tiny sip of alcohol. Also, teens could be pressured to drink in a social situation, like a party. Teens that are already drinking could possibly taunt others who are not drinking. These teens being taunted could feel pressured to drink to have the feeling of fitting in with the crowd. Sadly, these teens usually feel too pressured and decide to drink. Little do they know that this tiny sip of alcohol could affect the rest of their

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