What do you guys think of underage drinking? Why do kids do it? How can it be prevented? Have you drink alcohol even though you are/were underage?

Some data: Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drownings (1–5).

Although this is true, it hasn't stopped people from doing it. Opinions on the subject?

No one is going to change a bad behavior unless they hit rock bottom.

You can try and help them but really they won't change unless they truely want to.

testing123:

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So, in conclusion, you can't.

It really disheartens me to hear this. Maybe many of the parents and adults out there think the same thing; that the kids can't change their attitudes, so they just give up on the kids. However, I think that there are some kids out there who don't have to be related to tragedy to "see the light". It is true that at a young age, many kids carry the "I'm bullet proof" attitude (we even do so as adults). I won't give up though.

speed:

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No at all. In fact I'm very pleased to be able to discuss this with someone reasonable, polite, and educated on the matter. And sorry if I got a little rash previously, I apologize.

First, you are far too kind, but I'll take any compliment I can get so thanx! And don't apologize for being rash . . . you're young and you have a right to be passionate about what you believe in. We will start to see more problems in this world when people don't voice their opinion and bottle up their feelings.

I don't have all my figures just yet, but upon cursory review here is what I can tell:

• Minimum driving age in some EU countries is 18 and licensing can be more difficult than U.S.
• BAC for DUI in EU for most countries is .05, none over .08, and a couple at .00
• Penalties for DUI can be more severe in some EU countries than in U.S.
• Nearly 1/3 of all death and injury on roads in EU related to DUI
• There is a recommendation to lower the BAC in EU to .02 for all drivers by 2010
• At least 10,000 deaths annually (this number is deemed low b/c of several non-reported factors) due to DUI at a cost of 40 Billion Euros
• BAC testing is currently restricted, therefore many more DUI accidents occur but are not reported as such
• 14-25 year olds most affected by DUI, and is the prime cause of death


In a couple of the reports I read, there is a lot of concern with the DUI issue in EU and they have many recommendations to reduce the number of deaths due to DUI.

I don't know if the laws are more relaxed since I've not lived there. When I was coming home from Tajikistan/Afghanistan last year, we stopped for a few days in Munich and I noticed a lot of people and a lot of drinking, but not a lot of drivers (there were more mass transit carriers that people were using). I know that I only saw a small snap shot of the area but I did find that interesting. I agree with you 100% that our culture has a lot to do with our problems. I am an advocate of drug use abstinence and I know that will not sit well with a lot of people, but I really don't think that not using alcohol/drugs is harmful. I think that, in any country, more problems can be attributed to the use of alcohol/drugs than not. Does that make sense?

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That's a very good point. Just out of curiosity, would you break the law for anything you considered a very good reason?

Quite possibly, yes. I'm a bit hot-headed, so I'd probably end up breaking a law I saw as unfair in order to draw attention to it.

So, in conclusion, you can't.

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Have someone close to them die of an alcohol related accident. That will change their attitudes.

And even that doesn't always work since many seem to think it'll never happen to them, in their car.

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Okay, then how can we change the attitude of those who don't care?

Have someone close to them die of an alcohol related accident. That will change their attitudes.

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Finally, Speed, please don't misunderstand my replies to you.

No at all. In fact I'm very pleased to be able to discuss this with someone reasonable, polite, and educated on the matter. And sorry if I got a little rash previously, I apologize.

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The drinking laws are strict b/c of the harm you may inflict . . . not on yourself, but on others.

I both agree and disagree with that focus simultaneously. I question the drinking laws in the US's on a cultural level. As I said, I would like to find the cause for such high rates of alcohol induced accidents, as they are much lower proportionally in europe and asia, where laws also happen to be more relaxed.
I beleive there are elements in american culture that lead teens to irresponsible conduct regarding alcohol, and if we rely on statisics we'd have to conclude that these elements aren't present in european culture, so what are they?
Also, there is an incosistency with the general line of though in america, capitalist individualism, and laws that ban certain actions not for the protection of oneself, but for the protection of others.

testing123: Okay, then how can we change the attitude of those who don't care? Why is it that many of the kids I talk to tell me that they can handle drinking, even though they've been told of the dangers? The TV ads tell us parents to talk to our kids b/c they are listening . . . but when I ask the kids I talk to, most tell me that they tune their parents out. I started a thread asking "how to get your parents to listen".

Maybe it's because I'm an old codger, but I see the dangers and know what can happen. There is too much good in life to not care!

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But young people need to be educated on how serious drinking and driving, binge drinking, underage drinking, and even social drinking can be.

Most know. They just don't care.

Heather: Yes, I do see your point. I gave a presentation to a high school drivers ed class a couple of weeks ago and after the class, one of the kids came up to me to thank me for my presentation and she told me that she did not use drugs or alcohol b/c her brother died due to the use of drugs and alcohol. It's strange, but many people, like you, who chose not to drink or use drugs do so b/c they know of someone who suffered, or died b/c of those substances. This goes back to my original point that although it is a personal choice, ultimately it will affect someone other than just the user.

I wish that everyone could be as strong willed as you, but that is not the case. The laws do need to be enforced more vigorously. But I don't think that will solve the problem. It is a very complicated situation that will take a long time to fix (if it can be fixed). But young people need to be educated on how serious drinking and driving, binge drinking, underage drinking, and even social drinking can be. So many people I talk to seem to think that alcohol is really not that bad. The financial cost of alcohol use/abuse in the U.S. is estimated at about $100 billion each year. That tab is paid for by the tax payers and we will all become tax payers one day. I suggest to all people who want change to be proactive. Contact your college administrator's and explain your concerns. Find others who agree with you and make a stand.

I don't think it will stop until laws are enforced, colleges enforce their rules against it,and parents quit just expecting it to happen when their Teen goes off to college. I have live in dry dorms my entire time in college and going over to the wet dorm for my i-team every Thursday night is like walking into a ses-pool it smells like beer, sweat, and dirty sex. Its one of the newest halls on campus and its filthy inside. Its miraculous the other halls don't smell like this and they are spick and span. Do you see the point I'm trying to make?
I'm 19 and I've never drank, its a personal choice, my brother almost died when he was 23, after seeing him in the hospital that night I'll never pick up a drink without thinking about it, which is why I just can't drink.

Speed: Absolutely. The drinking laws are strict b/c of the harm you may inflict . . . not on yourself, but on others. As I said before, it would be a wonderful world if what we did had no effect on others. Too many people drink and drive and hurt others. Statistically, 7 out of 10 violent crimes involve alcohol. 30% of college rape involves alcohol. Please understand, this is not an issue of personal rights. I commend you for stating that a person is accountable for what they do, i.e., consuming alcohol and driving. But again, how can you tell the relative or friend of someone who is dead (b/c of a drunk driver or their own drinking and driving) that the person who was drunk driving will be accountable for doing what they did?

I also take issue with your statement regarding psychology (I know a bit about this subject myself) and the fact that most kids will rebel (hormonal influence) during their teenage years if you tell them not to do something. Yes, most kids do go through hormonal changes; this is a part of life that we have all gone through. But if the adult figures in these kids' lives are good, positive role models, the kids stand a much better chance of not engaging in potentially dangerous or irresponsible behavior.

Kudos to you clpo13 for your approach to the drinking age. Too many people fall into the trap of thinking they are being mistreated if the law does not support what they want to do. There are better ways to change laws than breaking them.

Finally, Speed, please don't misunderstand my replies to you. I really appreciate your POV. When I talk to kids about drug prevention, I want to make sure I'm understanding what they are thinking. So, you are really helping me to understand the other side of this issue.

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This is true, until the substance is put into the body.

You validate my point. Alcohol doesn't put itself into your body, you put it in your body, thus you are responsible for whatever effects it has on you.
Are you saying that alcohol laws are strict not because of the harm you may inflict on yourself, but because of the harm you may inflict on others through irresponsible behaviour?

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I'm 19. The legal drinking age is 21. The risk becomes apparent once you do the math. I'm not a big fan of breaking the law without a damn good reason. Beer isn't, in my opinion, a good reason.

That's a very good point. Just out of curiosity, would you break the law for anything you considered a very good reason?

Speed: First, you bring up some good points, i.e., that if you drink and get into a car then you're a dumb F. I wish everyone thought the same way you do. You also state that alcohol is an inert substance and does not act or influence anyone. This is true, until the substance is put into the body. Alcohol, as with many other drugs, does act on brain chemistry as well as various organs in the body. It slows reaction time, affects decision-making, and depresses the body's functions. People who go out drinking usually tell you that they won't drive, however, after a few drinks, many of these same people get behind the wheel of the car (that is the effect of the alcohol). You also say that if you do drink and drive, you are responsible for what happens. Yes, I agree. However, do you think the parents, relatives, or friends of someone killed b/c of a drunk driver will accept that? It would be great if we lived in a world where our actions didn't affect others, but that is not the case.

I am not an advocate of abolishing alcohol; I am an advocate of education. The problem is that alcohol does affect the way we think and how we act. I do not understand why so many people think that it doesn't. Every year in the U.S. approximately 17,000 people are killed in alcohol-related crashes. That does not account for the countless number of people who are injured by drunk drivers. Yes, let's educate people about the potential dangers of alcohol and drug use. Have you not seen the the commercials that tell people to drink responsibly? When has anyone come out and told you that adults should never drink (not many people do that)? What I hear from the "anti-drinking" PSAs is that kids should not drink until they are 21 (it's the law), and adults should drink responsibly. That sounds like education to me. I've looked at the health books for middle and high schools students, and they also talk about responsible behavior.

It's not enough to say let's educate people. Adults are educated on the potential dangers of alcohol and drug use, but we still have major problems with abuse. We need to set the example and stop telling impressionable kids that you can have a good time when you're drunk. You can have a good time sober and not have to deal with hangovers or any of the other associated downfalls of alcohol use.

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What is risky about it? vomiting on your shirt? having a bad headache the next day?

I'm 19. The legal drinking age is 21. The risk becomes apparent once you do the math. I'm not a big fan of breaking the law without a damn good reason. Beer isn't, in my opinion, a good reason.

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After a few drinks, many people start to think that they can do things just as well as they could sober, i.e., driving a car. So alcohol does change how people control their actions.

There are known facts which do not vary in function of how many drinks one has had. If you drink, you don't get in the car unless someone sober is driving. Period. If you decide to do so anyway you're a dumb fuck and are entirely responsible for whatever happens to you including death in a crash.

I just see this the same as all other drug control policy's, drugs are not bad, they are inert substances, they can't be bad becuase they cannot act or influence anyone on their own. Drugs only become bad when people decide to do stupid things with them. Instead of being so strict on drug related issues we should try to teach people of their risks so they don't abuse them.

Establishing prohibitions is almost pleading teenagers to drink. Anyone who knows a bare minimum in psychology knows that during the teenage years due to the hormonal changes in the body and the way they affect personality most teens become rebelious, this is merely a way of developing one's personality as an independent individual to the parents on which most teens depend completely up untill this phase.
Obviously, this rebeliousness can adopt many forms but if teens are constantly bombarded with images of correctness and the evils of drugs sex and alcohol it is only logical that they develope an interest in these things.

Instead of just banning alcohol we should try to prevent people from acting stupid when they drink as they're gonna do it anyway nomatter what the law dictates.

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My main question for people is what purpose does alcohol serve?

I have a good time when I'm drunk, that's enough of a reason. If I go to a photography expo I'll go sober, but if I go to a club I'll get drunk, why? because depending on context alcohol and some drugs make situations more pleasurable.

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We would be much better off, as a whole, if we didn't have to deal with all of the problems alcohol can create (health and social issues).

Alcohol doesn't create problems, people create problems. Alcohol doesn't sneak up on you and suffocate in a giant buble untill you're drunk, cocaine doesn't blow it's way up your nose.
Individuals are responsible for their actions and their consequences. I mean plastic is also bad in that sense. If I decided to smoke plastic I'd probably develope necrosis in my lungs, isn't that a whole lot worse than smoking ciggarettes?
Stop blaming chemical composites and lifeless fluids for humanity's harms.

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My main question for people is what purpose does alcohol serve?

It's like a Delete key for your brain.

Speed: To answer your question, my opinion is that you are not an underage drinker if it is legal where you live. I think the more pertinent question is: is drinking alcohol necessary? You asked what is risky about it. Well, just about everything. The problem with most people, adults included, is that they say the same thing "There's nothing dangerous about getting a little tipsy if you can control your actions." Alcohol is one of those drugs that affects the decision-making part of the brain. After a few drinks, many people start to think that they can do things just as well as they could sober, i.e., driving a car. So alcohol does change how people control their actions. If you can control your actions, you won't vomit on your shirt, or have that bad alcohol related headache the next day.

My main question for people is what purpose does alcohol serve? If people are honest, the answer is that alcohol gets you tipsy or drunk. We would be much better off, as a whole, if we didn't have to deal with all of the problems alcohol can create (health and social issues).

Sorry for being so preachy!