Alcohol Essay

His advice to teens is to not rink at all and stand up to peer pressure. The advice he gives to his children is to Stay clear Of alcohol and if you are brought into a situation involving alcohol excuse yourself from the party or wherever that may be. He explained that even if you aren't drinking and are in an environment with alcohol that new laws in Pennsylvania claim you are still in the possession of alcohol and you can get charged for that. He touched on the fact that it's becoming socially acceptable by some parents to allow their kids to drink in a controlled environment.He is completely against this because you run the risk of them tenting behind the wheel and putting their lives at risk. I think many people need to be aware of Officer Myers view on substance abuse amongst teens. Especially the fact that you can still get charged with underage drinking, if you are in the presence of alcohol at a party, even if you aren't the one drinking it. I'm against this law because I thin k it discourages the idea of designated drivers but do believe people need to be aware of it. The first adult I interviewed had a very strong opinion on substance abuse among adolescents.She stated that people have a genetic predetermined gene that makes them have an addictive personality. If kids start experimenting with alcohol and drugs too early she believes that they will most likely become abusers by adulthood. She stated, â€Å"It runs in families, for example, several men in my family are alcoholics who personally turned me off from drinking. Also, my older brother was a heavy drinker and my niece has had years of alcohol and drug abuse. It eventually got to the point that she lost custody of her 5 children and was put in jail for stealing money to support her habit. Having grown up with an alcoholic grandfather, she explained that watching the negative effects that alcohol had on her family add her feel in a way that she didn't think alcohol was something she needed. She w as extremely curious as to how kids today even obtain alcohol, who gives them the money, and so on. She also thinks it's outrageous that some parents accept drinking among their teens or even allow them to do it at home. She added, â€Å"l have friends that who let their underage kids drink at home and they said it was to teach them to learn to drink responsibly.However, I think that could increase their chances of addiction and should not be tolerated. † I definitely can relate to this persons perspective on alcohol abuse among adolescents. Coming from a family that has had alcohol and drug problems, I completely understand her viewpoint and why she feels that its not only is it unnecessary for her to drink, but that underage drinking should not be tolerated. However, as I do believe that some people may be more prone to becoming an addict I do disagree with her statement about people being born addicts.The second adult I interviewed absolutely had a different view on drinki ng and alcohol abuse among adolescents. She started off by saying â€Å"The way the laws are today, teens cannot drink beer like did when was a teen. Now they rink hard liquor and they can't handle it. It's also so forbidden that it almost makes it attractive. † She continued by saying that drinking vodka as your first experience is a gateway into trying the next bigger thing which could be smoking weed, than taking pills, and then getting into harder drugs and major alcohol and substance abuse problems.She believes the laws have helped with Dud's but not with changing the drinking and substance abuse amongst teens. Experimenting with alcohol, she stated, is something that teens have always done and that is something she doesn't think any law or program loud change and convince teenagers not to drink. She also added, â€Å"l feel it's always going to take something tragic to happen to make somebody say they won't ever drink again. Also feel people are born addicts. I had a f riend in high school who drank beer in his house alone every night and when used to ask him why he did that he said it was because he liked the way it made him feel. That teen ended up becoming an alcoholic. She strongly felt that she there wasn't anything someone could do about it. Starting a habit that young as a teen wreaked havoc on his early adult life. When asked about her experiences with drinking she stated that, â€Å"l personally could never drink again in my life and it wouldn't bother me. I think people are the way they are. † She explained this is why it's hard for her to relate to teens that have us absence issues because she wonders why they can't just stop doing what they are doing.Something I strongly agree with that this second adult stated was that sometimes it takes something tragic to happen for a teen or even an adult to say that they will never drink again. Although this is clearly not the ideal situation I do think that this happens a lot and that some times kids are hard o convince otherwise. Also agree that bad habits of substance abuse as a teen can lead to a troubled adulthood. I also agree with her view on something that seems like a spiral affect. If you start drinking vodka as a young teen, you may keep experimenting with worse things that could have serious negative effects.The teens interviewed had very interesting views on substance abuse amongst adolescents. The first teen started off by saying, â€Å"l think it's ridiculous that the drinking age is 21 to prevent brain damage, injuries, and addiction when an 18 year old can legally buy cigarettes and smoke as many packs a day as they want. Teens can risk their lives fighting for a country in a war but can't have a beer. † His reasoning was that he understands that experimenting with alcohol can be very dangerous can kill you if you drink too much, especially as a teen, but he feels that he is mature enough to drink responsibly.His parents were raised in a house w here they were able to drink wine with dinner; this made drinking seem like less of a deal. To him, drinking in a controlled environment can benefit kids and stop them from binge drinking. He also stated that drinking in a controlled environment can decreases a child's chance of addiction. The zero tolerance by the police for alcohol abuse by teens does not work. They should instead try to teach teens how to drink responsibly,† he stated. His parents rule is that if he comes home too intoxicated then he will be grounded for a month but they understand that he Will be experimenting with alcohol.While they do not encourage it, they are understanding and want him to know that he can call them if him or any Of his friends are in danger and need help. He added, â€Å"l think that's the best way to be because don't have to sneak around and can have an honest relationship with my parents. † I thought that my friend's viewpoint on the fact that if an 18 year old is fighting for our country, risking his life, and can legally buy cigarettes that he should be able to drink a beer was very interesting.It's something that don't hear about a lot and is a bit controversial because it seems like fighting in a war and smoking can be much more harmful to one's health. I agree that the zero tolerance policy by the police with underage drinking does not work in most cases because don't think teens are ever going to stop drinking. Although I'm not sure that his family's rules on him drinking are the best, it's interesting how beneficial they seem to him. â€Å"l think drinking is really fun and that's why teenagers do it.Kids who binge drink and throw up are disgusting but they will learn from their mistakes,† is what the second friend interviewed had to say. Similarly to what my first friend said, my second friend said that although some adults are in denial of this, no alcohol class, citation, or program could make him stop drinking. Alcohol use amongst teens is completely normal to him but what he is against is getting behind the wheel after you have been drinking or getting in the car tit someone who has been drinking.He stated that if adults want to help teens maybe they should educate them about how different types of alcohol affection differently so teens are aware of alcohol poisoning and how easy it could happen to someone. He added, â€Å"l think the kids who drink the most and do drugs have family problems or other deep rooted issues. Most teenagers just want to have a good time on the weekend and get away from the stress of school, sports, Stats, college applications etc. † In conclusion, he stated that these types of kids who drink to have a good time are different hat kids who abuse drugs and alcohol and that those kids have way bigger problems.