Under Aged Drinking Amongst Teens
CJ 408
Christina McGruder
Grantham University

More than 4,750 kids under age 16 have their first full drink of alcohol every day in the United States, More youth in the United States drink alcohol than smoke tobacco or marijuana, making it the drug most used by American young people. The average age at which young people ages 12 to 17 begin to drink is 13 years old. The average age that underage drinkers ages 12 to 20 begin to drink is 16.1 years old. 
Underage drinking in the community is clearly a problem in the US. Alcohol leads not only into the use of other narcotics, but also can lead to many criminal actions being committed by teens. I believe that this is a good research topic and filed to study. Because most teenagers just want to belong and are really beginning to find themselves, the abuse of alcohol may lead down a dark path of destruction with irreversible effects. Because alcohol is a powerful drug that slows the central nervous system and changes the way people think and feel. Since teenagers have not built up physical tolerance, the effects of alcohol can be more dangerous. Teenagers also lack drinking experience or an understanding of moderation and are less apt to judge the amounts that they consume. Teenager’s bodies are a lot smaller than adults and the alcohol can have a greater effect. Alcohol can cause accidents, health problems, and social problems. Intoxication and can cause injuries, aggressive behavior and violence, as well as poor school performance. Dependence on alcohol can cause several psychiatric problems, such as: depression, anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and antisocial personality disorder (www.alcohol.gov...). 
With all these side effects and dangers to drinking underage it is important to continually research the problem, and how to address and stop the abuse of alcohol by minors. Much research has been done on this topic already; further research would be intriguing especially since this is an ongoing issue that has no sign of ending.
Reference
“Teenagers and Alcohol”. A Guide for Parents. 6 July 2008. http://www.alcohol.gov.au/internet/alcohol/publishing.nsf/Content/brochure-teen-alcohol 2005 data from in-school surveys of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students . (n.d.). Retrieved from www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/05data.html 
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