Teens And Alcohol

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Teens and Alcohol

Did you know that in America we have a growing underage drinking epidemic? Will according to a research investigation we do. The research conducted by Columbia’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), underage drinking has become an epidemic in America and alcohol is the number one drug used by teens. It has shown that teens begin drinking as early as middle school and by high school graduation 80% of teens have tried alcohol. Also according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, teens who start drinking by the age of 15 are four more times likely to develop alcohol dependency. They have shown that over 3 million teenagers are out right alcoholics and that several million more have a serious drinking problem. Both research groups agree that alcohol causes health problems and it is also a contributing factor in the top three causes of death among teens: accidents, homicide and suicide.

In order to stop this epidemic, as a society we need to teach teens what alcohol is and what alcohol does to them. They need to know what harm alcohol does to them physically and mentally. They need to know that, not only does alcohol cause harm to themselves, but when they are drinking they can cause harm to others as well. That alcohol is a dangerous and can lead them into trouble.

Alcohol is a drug made when fruits, grains and vegetables are fermented. This is when a process using bacteria and yeast causes the sugars in the original food to change chemically into alcohol. Fermenting is an everyday useful process that enables us to make medicines, cheeses, vitamins and citric acids. These things help us get better when sick and gives us some of the foods we eat. Alcohol is also used in everyday life as an antiseptic, sedative and even as a cleaning product, but when consumed it can be dangerous to our health.

Alcohol is an addicting drug that impairs one’s ability signif...