Underage drinking has been a serious problem all around for people from ages 12-20. Statistics show that drinkers under 21 years old is a major health problem. The fact that it is so easy for underage people to get into contact with alcohol raises the percentage of teens who drink.

Alcohol is the most abused drug in the United States, even more than tobacco and marijuana.  Alcohol is seen as a “getaway” beverage for people experiencing stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues, which is why some people turn to drinking to “numb the pain” which eventually become alcoholics. Underage alcoholics are more common than you think. The most common age to turn to drinking is 12, which leads to long abuse. Some people drink for fun, or because it’s the “cool” thing to do, and others do it in belief their lives will be better not knowing their surroundings.

According to the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 39% drank some sort of amount of alcohol, 22% binge drink, 8% drove while intoxicated, and 24% rode with a driver who had been drinking. Recently on July 9th, 2014 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho a teenage female was 4 times over the legal limit of alcohol, and nearly died. It is still unknown of how she survived a traumatic experience with hypothermia(temperature of 91 degrees), near death blood pressure of 40/palp, meaning there was hardly a palpate pressure and a very fast but weak heartbeat. The 15 year-old female was just a hair away from not being able to experience another birthday. The teenager does not want her name reported but says “I’m so glad God gave me another chance to make better decisions, I hope my story influences teens to make better decisions than I.”

Teen drinking is a serious health issues when abused, it causes liver failures, kidney stones, memory loss, and lack of success in everyday life. Though it seem like it’s a “cool” thing to do around friends, it causes significantly more bad than good.