The issue of overrated underage drinking has immensely increased in the past few years. Many teens tend to drink alcohol before they are over the age of 21. Teenagers are not only having just one sip or drinking one time, but also commonly drinking every weekend while partying with their friends. The idea that so many teenagers are being killed in drunk driving accidents is intriguing. Many teens face a number of internal and external problems, which can lead to underage drinking.

     With the overwhelming number of problems and pressures teens face on a daily basis, underage drinking stats have increased tremendously throughout the past couple of years. Information from various sources regarding teen drinking often differs, but one thing is for sure: teen drinking has drastically increased over the years. Some research reports state, “Less than one in ten teens under the age of 14 has drank alcohol in the past month.”

     With time, alcohol decreases teens’ ability to pay attention. Also, teens that have experienced alcohol withdrawal tend to have difficulties with memory. Moreover, male teens that drink heavily tend to complete fewer years of education compared to males who do not. The younger the person is when they begin drinking, the more likely they are to develop a problem with alcohol in their future. Drinking in excess can also lead to the use of other drugs, like marijuana, cocaine, and in some cases even heroin.

     Although, some might disagree with the fact that teenage drinking is a big deal, it has great consequences. Teenagers might not understand how many lives are being lost by a poor choice that someone could prevent. Every 15 minutes a teen is killed by a drinking while driving car accident. Most teenagers don’t realize the impact of binge drinking because at times they take their lives for granted, and are only concerned with having fun in that specific moment. However,  within seconds, everything could be over.

     Underage drinking is very dangerous to teens because their brain is not fully developed and overtime it stops functioning the way it is supposed to. There are many causes for underage drinking, but fortunately there is also many ways to prevent underage drinking. The younger teens start drinking, the greater the chance they have of facing an alcohol problem in the near future. Preventing underage drinking doesn’t take too much from parents, keeping their teens involved and being a part of their life has a great impact.