Alcohol is the most Used Substance

Alcohol is the most used substance of abuse for American teens states therecoveryvilage.com.The consequences of adolescent alcoholism can affect everyone. Everyone can be impacted the aggressive behavior, injuries, and the deaths that come along side of this type of substance. According to the Department of Transportation (DOT) adolescent alcoholism can be hand-in-hand with erratic behaviors such as a low self-esteem and weakened coping skills. There are many mental issues that can manifest from adolescent alcoholism.

Responsibility.org shows that people from the ages 12 to 20 drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S. According to responsibility.org,more than 50% of teens preserved it to be risky behavior. This means that most of teens drinking do it to fit in because it is a social norm for that age group.Alcohol is a widely accepted drink that is easy to get a hold of, but it is also very unhealthy for teens still growing bodies; to convince teens to not drink alcohol we need to show them how unhealthy it is for their still growing bodies.

Drinking in adolescence can have many consequences such as serious health effects.Teens also have the tendency to drink and drive, and they can become unlawful in many ways. Drinking is especially unhealthy for teens because their bodies are still developing. Therecoveryvillage.com states that teens suffering from alcoholism will show a great amount of mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression.

Alcoholism in adolescence is very unhealthy for teens because the teenage body and the brain is still growing. The liver will not be as strong when they are older and will not be able to fight off disease as well as it should. Cdc.gov states that 1 in 10 teens in highschool drink and drive and That 10% are 17 times more likely to die in a crash when they have a alcohol level of .08% than when they have not been drinking. Sadd.org states that there are more than 16,000 deaths and 1 million injuries a year due to teenage drinking and driving. Sadd.org also states that alcohol related deaths are nearly twice as high for someone the ages 18-20 as for those over 21. It is more likely for teens to be injured in a alcohol related crash because they are more inexperienced than those over the age of 21. Drinking and driving is dangerous in as itself, but when a drunk teen is behind the wheel it is more dangerous because teens are more inexperienced at driving.

Adolescent alcoholism can cause teens to be extremely unlawful in many ways.Teens may act in this manner because their judgement can very impaired.One way teens become unlawful is that when teens are drunk, there is a much higher chance of sexual assault. Research shows that about 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol related rape or sexual assault says old.helpguide.org. Teen also are less likely to use condoms when they are drunk which can result in the victim becoming pregnant or having an S.T.D says ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov also says that individuals under the age of 21 that have been drinking commit 45% of rape, 44% of robbery, and 37% of assault and other crimes

Teens who drink have very impaired judgement, which means that they will act irrational in many ways. Like vandalizing, rape, robbery, etc.A way that we can stop teens from drinking is to make them not want to drink at all. Like having adults talk to their kids about the dangers of drinking at such a young age and that there is a reason that the drinking age is so high. Having parents talking to their kids about drinking can be more effective than one would think. It is important for parents to talk to their kids about drinking because they are more likely to listen to their parents than anyone else.
Another way that we can stop teens from drinking is to have the people selling the alcohol be more aware. They could be more aware by paying attention to see if there are anyone that seems to be under the age limit trying to buy the alcohol.Or make sure that no one is trying to buy any alcohol with a fake I.D

Look at your own approach to alcohol as a parent and make sure that you don't drink like an alcoholic and get drunk in front of your kids. As teens get closer to the legal drinking age the number of D.U.I arrest rise significantly with a large jump between the age 18 & 19.

The chart above is very important because it shows that teens close to the drinking age tend drink and drive much more than other teens to have the most arrest. there is much progress to be made because most teen deaths that are related to car accidents are due to drinking and driving. 8 teens die every day due to DUI crashes states Cbc.com.

North Carolina is a no tolerance state when it comes to laws, especially when it comes to DUI's. The law states that anyone under the age of 21 who has any trace of alcohol in their system then their will be a penalty. The N.C. law says that if someone is pulled over and are asked to take a breathalyzer test and refuse to do so than N.C. has allowed minors to be convicted of underaged DUI simply for the smell of alcohol on them.Robertslawteam.com states that if you have any trace of alcohol if you blow a .01 you can be arrested.According to robertslawteam.com and the N.C. law You can be arrested just for looking intoxicated even without proof of your blood-alcohol level. Signs of intoxication are erratic driving, bloodshot eyes, failed field sobriety test(walk and turn around, walk in a straight line,the follow my finger test. N.C. law states if you are caught with alcohol in your system your license will automatically be suspended for up to 30 days to a year.The DUI can only be removed from your record if the crime was committed before the age of 18.

When teens try to buy alcohol they can try to use a fake I.D.North Carolina is also harsh on fake I.D. offenses. In N.C if someone tries to buy alcohol or even enter an establishment that sells alcohol with a fake ID they can be arrested with a felony. Another charge you can get is ;as bizarre as it sounds, identity theft. This shows that North Carolina does not take manners like this lightly. If someone older was to get alcohol for an underaged individual than they could face a penalty. The penalty will depend on if the alcohol was given to the teen free or sold to them. If someone were to be caught giving a minor alcohol in North Carolina than the person could face potential jail time or even lose their license.

Having a DUI on your record can severely damage your future.If you are in college when you get the offense it will have its own democratic measures in its way. If you are trying to get into college than having the DUI on your record some colleges will not accept you. According to arnoldsmithlaw.com Minors may have to pay a fine of up to $4000 and a 24 hour to 10 year jail sentence or you may have to do community service for 30 to 90 days. If you were convicted of a felon in North Carolina you will have to serve at least a year in jail.If you are caught driving while your license is revoked than your vehicle can be seized and sold by your community school board. Studies show that women get intoxicated faster than men because they have less enzymes used to metabolize alcohol in their bodies. Drinking on an empty stomach can also cause a rise in the blood-alcohol level more quickly.

The North Carolina law states that on your first offense your minimum jail time will be 24 hours, fined $200,and a license suspension for 1 year. On your second offense jail time will be 4 days,1 to 4 year license suspension, and are required to have an ID on you at all times.Third offense will require a 14-30 day jail time sentence,a year to a permanent license suspension. And will require you to have your ID on you for 7 years. If you are under 21, there's no tolerance so if you are pulled over you have to blow a zero. If you 21 or older you have to blow a .08. Arnoldsmithlaw.com states that If you have a criminal record, you have to blow a .04. The amount of alcohol in your system will determine what your sentence will be. meaning that the higher someone underaged blows the wers the offense.

According to Ncdps.gov and the law of N.C. there are 5 stages of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. Level one is the most severe and level 5 being the least.level 5 has a fine of $200 and maximum jais sentence of 60 days.level 4 has a fine of $500 and a maximum sentence of 120 days.level 3 has a large fine of $1000 and a jail sentence of 6 months. At level 2 you have to pay a fine of $2000 and a maximum jail sentence of 1 year.level one you have to pay up to $4000 and a maximum jail sentence of 2 years. It is also illegal to bike or scooter while under the influence. You will get a hefty fine.

In December of 1998 North Carolina began to make it legal to seize the cars of repeat offenders. Over 8,000 vehicles have been seized since then. In 2000, they began to make it legal to have a repeat offenders license taken if they blow anything over a .04. In 1998 alone there were about 469 people died due to alcohol related crashes on North Carolina's highways. Another 10,629 were injured. Nearly 40,000 people were arrested due to D.U.I's, and a large percentage of those arrested were underaged teens.

There are some ways teens can handle alcohol or drink some of it under the supervision of an adult. Some establishments allow teens to handle and sell alcohol. Ludlumlawfirm.com States that minors may consume alcohol under the supervision of a teacher in a culinary course. The course must be licensed and accredited. Ludlumlawfirm.com states that teens may also drink wine for sacramental, religious purposes in an organized church. Drinking and driving is one of the only problems North carolina has when it comes to underaged drinking.That is why they are so strict about it when it comes to laws.

Underaged drinking and ruin a minors reputataion. It will be hard for them to get a good job or get into college with this bad of an offense on your record. The bottom line is that no one should drive after drinking any amount of alcohol. The consequences are too high, especially for a minor.

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