...Underage Drinking Topic: Underage Drinking in College Settings General Purpose: To provide a solution to an ongoing problem Specific Purpose: To provide a solution to underage drinking in college settings Central Idea: To provide a solution to the audience and encourage them to make a change Introduction: I am here today to tell you about an ongoing problem that occurs on our own school campus more often than not. This is our school. These are underage students who attend our school. What happens when you add alcohol to the mix? Well, first, you get throw up. Then, you get angry administrators. I’m here today to address the issue of underage drinking on college campuses. I am also here to provide a solution to this problem that will not only make us, the student population, happy, but also provide college campuses with less disciplinary problems. Body: (Transition: First, let us take a look at the amount of underage college students consuming alcoholic beverages.) I. This graph represents the amount of students who reported getting drunk within the past two decades at the University of Michigan. A. As you can clearly see, this graph shows that anywhere from 38-48% of students have REPORTED being drunk in their college career. It does not include the students who are too afraid to admit to participating in “Thirsty Thursday” and extracurricular weekend activities. B. What the graph does also not show is how many of these students are of age, and how many are not...
Words: 1413 - Pages: 6
...Lcpl Redfern Ssgt Holdberg EMP 20140306 Underage Drinking Alcohol has become the root of many issues in not only the United States but also around the world. There are a countless number of effects it has on your body physically, mentally, and emotionally. From all types health problems such as diseases and cancers, to the the bad decsions you make while under the influence such as drinking and driving and suicide, to the deppression and sadness it can bring. Everyone likes to go and drink to have a good time, but it has become such an abused drug that is ruining many peoples lives because they can't control it. None more than the people who drink underage. Alcohol use by people under the age of 21 is a major problem in the US. It is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth, more than tobacco and illicit drugs. Although drinking under the age of 21 is illegal, people ages 12 to 20 consume more than 11% of all alcohol in the United States each year. Underage drinking has become an epidemic, gradually getting worse every year. Alcohol is responible for the death of almost 5,000 teens each year and approximately 190,000 emergency room visits. Nearly 9 million youths, ages 12-20, report they have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days. The rate of current alcohol consumption increases with increasing age according to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 1% at age 12 to 15% at age 16 and 39%...
Words: 1713 - Pages: 7
...Most teenagers have probably explored with alcohol use in high school before college. The problem with underage drinking is a problem throughout all high school and colleges around the country. A lot of people don’t understand the consequences or the impact it can have on their lives, as they get older. Most of the time parents are unaware of the risks that their children face when they are involved in underage drinking. According to the National Survey on Drug Use, it is approximated that 24% of the population between the ages of 12 through 20 have engaged in underage drinking. Medical Experts say that alcohol can be used to increase metabolism and also helps with digestion. Despite the fact that it is against the law for college and high school students to consume alcohol, there is a large amount of teenagers experiencing the usage of alcohol. Even though it is said to be favorable, too much consumption has led to negative result and side effects. It is apparent that teenage alcohol abuses are basic problems that need to be taken up in society by our leaders, advisers and as well as the parents. Many people ask this question everyday, “Why do teenagers take prescription drugs?” Well most of the time teens wrongly believe that these drugs are more safe than regular drugs mainly because they are accessible to them from home or from friends. Breaking away from reality and being bored are the main reasons that teenagers abuse drugs. Peer pressure to continue friendships and...
Words: 1607 - Pages: 7
...Underage Drinking Introduction Alcohol is the most preferred choice of drug abuse among the youth. Many young people developed the habit of taking too much alcohol at an early age. Underage drinking has lead to numerous health problems in many countries. Many families have lost their children due to excess drinking. Adolescent stage comes with an increased independence, which is linked to alcohol abuse. This study will cover the effects of underage drinking and how it is a controversial issue in the country’s development. The Controversial Issue Teenagers are constantly willing to try different things. Drinking alcohol is one of the things teenagers try to do. Underage drinking is a widespread in the contemporary world. Most of the teenagers end up abusing alcohol. Some have lost their lives due to alcohol abuse. Each year, more than 5,000 young people below 21 years of age in the U.S. die due to alcohol abuse and alcohol related cases. This is a great loss to the society. The government is compelled to set aside funds for rehabilitation centers. The U.S. law does not allow anyone below the age of 21 to drink alcohol. Dangers of Underage Drinking Underage drinking is the chief cause of death among teenagers. Many deaths among young people are due to excess drinking. Excess drinking leads to accidents, homicides, suicides, drowning and other injuries. Too much drinking can harm the brain growth. The brain continues to enlarge and mature...
Words: 595 - Pages: 3
...Underage Drinking Introduction Underage drinking has long been, and continues to be, a serious public health concern. “Teen alcohol use kills more than 4700 people each year and high school students who use alcohol or other drugs are five times more likely to drop out of school” (MADD, 2014) than kids who do not. There have been years of underage drinking prevention programs to curtail the use of alcohol by those under 21 years of age and yet alcohol is the most widely used drug by adolescents in the United States (Wagoner et al. 2012). Underage drinking is a real problem in all 50 states, even though there are laws in place to prohibit anyone under 21 years of age from drinking alcohol. Parental involvement might be the missing link to decrease underage drinking for good. Statement of the Problem This study proposes that if parents are involved in prevention and intervention programs too, underage drinking will significantly decrease, in addition, age of onset will increase and more adolescents and young adults will abstain from alcohol use until legal age. Access to alcohol for underage drinkers comes from various sources. Many students are aware of local stores that sell alcohol to underage customers, know people who will purchase alcohol for them, and many utilize fake identification cards to purchase alcohol (Phipps, 2013). Surprisingly and sadly, a large provider of alcohol to underage partakers are parents themselves. When individuals become parents...
Words: 1376 - Pages: 6
...Underage drinking is becoming more of a noticeable problem in society, not only with high school students, but also with younger generations. Drinking is all over the television, the radio, and talked about in schools, public places, etc. Alcohol advertisements are more and more appealing to younger generations. If our youth is educated at a younger age, if school policies were stricter, and if clubs and bars cracked down on underage drinking the problem would not be as serious. Youth should be well educated about consumption of alcohol well before middle school. By the time students reach middle school they are already exposed to alcohol. D.A.R.E, the program that teaches children about alcohol and its effects, should be taught in elementary school. According to underagedrinking.samhsa.gov, over 70% of eighth graders said alcohol is easy to get 30% of children age 12-14 get alcohol from a family member. These statistics show that drinking is very popular in middle school. It seems as though these kids already know what they are doing by eighth grade, so D.A.R.E classes must be taught at an earlier age. Another reason classes should be taught earlier is from my own personal experience. High school football games should be a memorable part of their high school career. Instead of innocent cheering and fun at the games the young students show up intoxicated with the smell of alcohol on their breath. Now a day, children find it harder to enjoy things sober. To support my own personal...
Words: 851 - Pages: 4
...Should we change the drinking age? There has been many questions on the drinking age in the United States. Why should we be able to vote and not be able to drink?, Why should we fight for our country but we cant have a drink?. Some people believe that the age we drink 21 suddenly means that we are mature enough to handle the responsibility of drinking safely. In this short essay I will give my opinions on why the drinking age should be changed or why it should not. Underage drinking is a major problem in todays time. There are countless of accidents and deaths because of underage drinking. Some are due to car accidents, suicide and even simple accidents caused from the drunken state of mind of an inexperienced young adult. I believe that underage drinking is often a reality do to the fact that it is exciting. It is the idea that it is bad that makes tennagers want to drink. I personally can say that I drank underage because it was an answer to boredom caused by a small town and not very many options. I believe that if the drinking age was lowered from 21 to 18 that for one it would cut down on the criminal side. instead of people stealing alcohol or finding a buyer they could buy it themselves. It also would be more fitting for society. I think it is embarassing that we allow a 18 year old person to die fighting for thier country, to vote for a president, and to be a responsible, working, contributing citizen, but not allow...
Words: 314 - Pages: 2
...Underage Drinking Many teens face adult problems at a very young age. Underage drinking viewed in the eyes of parents and law enforcement agencies is a major problem among teen. In today society, kids are being pressured into doing things at a very young adolescent age. Problem many parents are facing in their own life are also posing as problems on their kids. The answer teens today must make is no longer just what shoes to wear or what matches what, but the must decided on drugs. Amongst those is alcohol, which is a choice most teens make even before they are teens. I have actually talked to some people that were drinking at the age of eleven and twelve. Everybody I have met has at one time drunk alcohol before graduation. Police officers sit day and night coming up with ways to extinguish this problem, but no matter how much effort they put forth it will and has continued. People all have different views on the solution to this problem, but before we get to their thoughts and mine, I would like to ask you a question. Would you as a parent or person rather have kids drinking at a house with chaperons where they will be staying all night or driving home drunk because you do not approve of it, and enforce a curfew? As a teenage I feel I know the most on the subject, but as I have found out my parents had to make the same decision during their life, even as hard as it is to believe they did. Solutions are like excuses they come in hundreds. People today blame everything...
Words: 484 - Pages: 2
...Underage Drinking There are a number of reasons why teenagers feel the urge to drink. Social environment, peer influence, stresses, and even reasons such as media influence associate with underage drinking. Peer pressure is a powerful predictor of alcohol use among teens. Americans have a very strong urge to be accepted and liked by their peers. Everyone wants to feel a sense of belonging. Many adolescents feel that they need to drink alcohol to gain this acceptance by the others around them. Stress is also another reason why teens may feel apt to drink alcohol. Stress causes teenagers to look for a quick escape from the problems, which they face, in their day-to-day lives. This quick escape can be found in the shape of a bottle. In the eyes of an underage drinker, alcohol is the cure to all problems, a way to forget all of stress and pressures that are facing them. They feel that it will numb their pain and continuing to use alcohol will result in maybe another problem, substance abuse. Popularity shouldn’t come along with breaking the law. Also, the cure to the problems in someone’s life isn’t breaking the law, because the affects alcohol has on the body causes a lot more issues down the road. Alcohol use is extremely common in our society. Young ones grow up watching their parents drink, at special occasions, as well as casually enjoying a few beers at a picnic. Now a day’s kids and young adults are surrounded by the use of alcohol on a daily basis. Underage...
Words: 1416 - Pages: 6
...Underage drinking Underage drinking is a significant problem in our society today. It is astonishing and disturbing that about 5.4 million people aged 12-20 engage in binge drinking each year. These young people do not understand the terrible consequences of this action on their brain, their education and their physical actions. The 2013 Youth Risk Behaviour Survey found that amongst high school students: • 10% drove after drinking alcohol • 21% binge drank • 31% drank some alcohol • 22% rode in a car with a driver who had been drinking alcohol These statistics show that teenagers are completely unaware or stupidly ignoring the devastating effects of this irresponsible action. Underage drinking on the brain Underage drinking has a...
Words: 468 - Pages: 2
...People think alcohol is just a drink, but it is something more than that, it is a deadly drug. Underage drinking is a social activity usually undertaken by small groups of close friends, and usually away from the oversight of parents or other adults. This paper is about teen alcohol abuse and we'll discuss at what age teens begin drinking, how alcohol can affect your body, and how alcohol can lead to dying. In America teens usually have their first drink around the age of 13. Drinking at such a young age can cause family problems, school problems, and much much more. Teenagers develop drinking because due to peer pressured, they have family problems, their friends are doing it so they want to do it also, and even just because they're bored. Teens who start drinking at a young age can become addicted. Many parents allow their children to drink right in front of them. They think it's better than for them to have their teen drinking somewhere else. More than 67% of teens...
Words: 639 - Pages: 3
...Prevent Underage Drinking 2/1/2012 General Orientation Dr. Graham 2/1/2012 Prevent Underage Drinking You go into a bar and ask for an alcoholic beverage, usually they ask if your 21, but this time you are handed your beverage and not asked for your ID. This is pretty much what goes on at college campuses. Underage drinking without much or any regulation has corresponded to many deaths and serious injuries to underage students. Teaching underage members of society how to drink in moderation, making stricter consequences for the drinkers who are underage and stricter consequences for the supplier should prevent underage drinking. Teaching underage members of society how to drink in moderation would be difficult but it would make underage drinking injuries disappear. In Europe, many of the people there are taught when they are very young how to drink in moderation by giving the kids alcohol moderately throughout the years they are growing up at home. This has caused the accidents and injuries in Europe to go down significantly. Though the drinking age in Europe is lower than America, they have a higher driving age, making it a whole lot harder to get into accidents. With Europe’s process of drinking laws it would make it so much easier to have as many deaths that involve underage drinking. “Alcohol statistics in Europe say that teens coming from homes that had no alcohol and were not taught how to drink responsibly had more issues with alcohol.” This shows the same thing...
Words: 774 - Pages: 4
...issue. The issue of underage drinking effects many young Americans and their families. Many laws have forbidden the drinking if you are under the age of 21. The arguing has been going on for years. When deciding if you are with or against the change of the minimum age to drink alcohol, there are many factors that should be taken into consideration health factors, laws, and many other factors. When it comes to health factors of drinking alcohol many believe that drinking alcohol is not beneficial in any way. Alcohol can help our body in many ways. Drinking alcohol on an occasion or controlled way can reduce the chance of getting a cardiovascular disease, it can lengthen your life by about...
Words: 1749 - Pages: 7
...Underage Drinking Rebuttal Analysis Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Abstract Most college students in the U.S fall between the 18-21 age bracket. As is custom, the highlight of an active collegiate lifestyle is partying, where binge drinking is the highlight of the day. In retrospect, the legal drinking age still stands at 21. Some proponents for the lowering of the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 contend that at that age, one is appended adult-like responsibilities such as the right to make decisions on their own, joining the military, marrying and starting a family, to mention but a few. In this regard, these proponents argue that if one is considered responsible enough to be trusted with the safety of the country, why not be trusted enough to consume alcohol? This has been the subject of rife debate in recent times, as either side puts arguments and counterarguments forth. Introduction A 2008 article authored by John Cloud headlined “Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered?” published on Friday, June in Time argues that the legal drinking age should remain steady at 21, and should not be lowered to 18 as critics would like to have it. A particular statement that tickles my fancy was “It’s unclear why shifting the venue of drinking from frat houses to bars will help solve the problem of hard-core student drinking” (Cloud, 2008). Although Cloud presents a sound argument, it is more sensible to implement more methodical and all-encompassing alcohol education to...
Words: 624 - Pages: 3
...Underage consumption of alcohol is an epidemic that has spread across the nation at an almost astronomical rate. The problem is increasing especially among teens in high school. It not only affects their health, but also their attitudes about such things as, school work, socializing with peers, and their personal lives at home. The problem only seems to be progressively growing worse and worse inside of the United States, and by the law of cause and effect, this is not only affecting today’s teens inside of our schools, but also future adults in the work place. Statistics say that that by the time teens reach the eighth grade, nearly 50 percent of teens have had at least one drink, and nearly 20 percent report to have been drunk. Statistics also suggest that 50 percent of 12th graders have consumed alcohol within the past 30 days. Not only is this substance illegal, but when used underage, it poses a substantial risk to not only the individual but also to society as a whole. For example, alcohol related automobile crashes are more prevalent among the ages 16 to 20 than drivers 21 and older. Teens are also more vulnerable to alcohol related brain damaging then adults are, because of the fact that our brain is still in the process of developing, and growing. Alcohol use also interacts with conditions such as depression, and stress disorders, which induces teens to commit suicide, the third most leading cause of death between the ages of 14 and 25. In one study, 37 percent of...
Words: 648 - Pages: 3
