Why underage children drink

By Ivy (Age 13, Chinese International School)

Underage drinking is an expanding problem for countries all around the world. Personally I do not understand the point of underage drinking; alcohol tastes quite horrible and is detrimental to a child's growing metabolism. Just because I don't drink doesn't mean other minors may not drink. In the United States, research shows that 11% of the alcohol consumed is by underage drinkers. I think that some minors may drink because it is their perception of being "cool", their parents' behavior, or peer pressure.

In my point of view, drinking and taking drugs is not "cool". To me, being cool is living a good and healthy life, surrounded by people who wish you the best and love you. Even better is if you have an exceptional job and can make an exceptional amount of money. There are people in the world who are very keen on their image; upholding a "cool" image is their ultimate goal. But everyone's perception of being "cool" is different. Some may think like I do, but some may think that binge drinking, taking large doses of drugs, and smoking heavily is "cool". The people who think my way have a delightful attitude in life. But the people who think the other way need to change their state of mind. I can understand where their perception of "cool" is coming from: gangsters, "hardcore" bikers, and prisoners. They are always portrayed as "cool" and "hardcore" and "totally beast!" in books and movies, causing certain people to aspire to be like them. People tend to pick up certain qualities such as drinking, drugs, and cigarettes.

Some minors drink because of their parents. In the United States, more than half the adults drink. Not all of them may be binge drinkers, but alcohol does cast a large shadow over many children in the United States. The children's alcoholic parents (not necessarily in all scenarios) may beat them, causing them stress and pain. There is a saying that alcohol can relieve stress, so the minors may go into their refrigerators and grab a beer to alleviate their stress and pain. Or, the children's parents may tolerate their children drinking because they drink frequently and do not see the horrible side to drinking.

Sometimes minors may drink because of the people they are friends with. Being a teenager, I know that it is important to maintain a "cool" image. Having that "cool" image means you get invited to parties, everyone wants to be your friend, and people envy you. Going to the parties, you must be the ringleader and not the one to be led. So if one of your friends sneaks a six-pack of beer in, what are you going to do? If you refuse, your friends are going to bully you into drinking. They might say things like, "But dude, c'mon, I thought we were friends!" or they could just shun you. It must be a hard feeling. If you drink without a doubt, then it becomes underage drinking! If I was placed in a situation where I could drink and be cool but break the law, or refuse the drink and be shunned, I would most definitely rather be shunned. I am being 100% truthful. I would rather be shunned from my friends (though it would really hurt), than have a drink because one thing leads to another. Maybe this one drink could cause me a lifetime of troubles and lies. I don't want that. I don't want to ruin my life, so no to the drink!

Underage drinking is a very serious topic. Minors may drink because they think it is "cool", because their parents drink or because of peer pressure. I think that drinking is not "cool" because you are abusing your body and hurting your organs. Drinking can cause you to do thing irrationally, inflicting harm to other people, not just yourself. So think before you drink, minors!