Imagine you are sixteen years old and have all the booze you ever desired. What would happen? Well, coming from an American teen perspective there would be plenty of binging, blackouts, fights, and hospitals visits.
I wake up one day and pulled my long sleeved shirt up to my elbow. I peered down and nearly fainted. There were gauze pads and medical tape wrapped around the inside of my elbow. I had not recollection of what happened to me the night before.
Many people in America believe that the average drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. Even prominent figures like Duke’s president supports lowering the drinking age. http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3396443/ Many believe that inexperience with alcohol leads to abuse. Teens are more prone to binge drink when they are not accustomed to alcohol combined with the desire to break rules. Studies have shown that at least 40% of the college population has experienced one symptom of alcohol abuse. Other studies have displayed over 1,700 teens die each year as a result of some form of alcohol abuse.
Many people may support lowering the drinking age, but a law is not a solution to the underlining problem. It is our culture. American teenagers come from a country that once brewed with temperance movements and laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol (Prohibition). America’s strong opposition towards alcohol has created a strong desire to consume alcohol for others, especially teens. I believe the nuclear family needs to start introducing wine at an early age to pre-teens with information and facts about alcohol. Children need to learn what acceptable drinking habits are. Parents also need to introduce children into the “Greek” culture at an early age. Parents need to debunk the glorified party college scene.
I also believe that the media needs to monitor their advertisements for alcohol. Advertisements and movies seem to breed off adolescents and pop culture. One of pop culture’s items is partying and underage drinking. Adolescents view these advertisements and stereotypes and see nothing wrong about them. These issues need to be pushed out into the limelight and be viewed to have negative qualities and even fatalities as a result.
As for me, I discovered I spent a good part of my night and early morning in a hospital hooked up to a drip in a comatose. I just didn’t know when to stop.
You seriously woke up and had no idea that you hurt your arm or how you did it? That really happened? I think that is more then just a young person not knowing their limits.
Your blog brings up a really good point, and I want to say if kids don't learn the first time they should seriously consider the control alcohol takes over them. Addiction is not just for old people.
Stayin' away from the sauce and trying to teach responsibility.
~T
http://www.progressiveu.org/224505-bitter-friend-sweet-enemy
Love is like a box of chocolates; if you chose wisely you won’t be disappointed and have to spit it out. ~T
Yeah,this really did happen. this is my first time every really talking about it. I had alcohol poisoning. I was young and nobody really taught me about moderation. i was also in a foreign country( i had no hospital bill) and had no supervision or limits. it was also Christmas holiday and i missed my family and friends, but i really don't want to go into it. i feel that if i was taught moderation and what self respect was i could have been better perpared. but ultimately i can't blame anyone but myself. i just don't want people to have to deal with the same thing i went through.
The sad part about it is that the next day i got hammered again.
Kids heal too quickly, man.
:idk:
"Never go with a hippy to a second location."
~Jack Donaghy
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Ah this sounds like the military guys I knew in Japan. They would always get smashed and local women, wake up with complaints and swears to never to do it again. Within 12 hrs they were right back at it. This is what they did to cope with the seperation aqnd culture shock at such a young age...maybe high schoolers should have sex-ed and alcohol classes.
Love is like a box of chocolates; if you chose wisely you won’t be disappointed and have to spit it out. ~T
you definitely hit the spot when you wrote culture shock. People have no idea how difficult it is to get over it.
culture shock had a huge factor with my past behavior.
I just might write a blog on it.
I don't think lowering the drinking age will solve many problems. Most young people I know who drink, do it to have fun, and like being drunk. They have alcohol now, and don't care about moderation. If it were legal, why would it make them care about moderation. What teens are thinking about while drinking also has to be considered. Most teens don't drink at parties to just get buzzed, they want to get smashed. It's our culture to drink a lot, and not care much for moderation while you're young. Changing the law isn't going to affect the youth.
I agree with you. I feel if we automatically just changed that law then we will have many younger kiddos consuming alcohol, and probably more accidential deaths. I think this sort of change should start with the nuclear family's attitude about alcohol. and then perhaps combine the family's attitude with a changed attitude with the media.
this is one of those times I am so glad that Islam prohibits alcoholic beverages and I've seen with my own eyes my cousin hurling her insides out after drinking so yeah, glad...not to have ever touched it but other times I wish I had the option.
"I'm more like a fool for soul and passion....
I watch crash, and realize that we all survivors
no religion or race, whatever describe us." -Forever Begins, Common
http://www.progressiveu.org/012450-old-and-gold-times-change-my-immigran...