Breaking The Drinking Age Essay

There is a reason why the legal age of drinking alcohol in the United States is 21. If a person waits to consume alcohol until the age of 21 years of age or older, he or she just has 7% chance of becoming an alcoholic compared to that of a person who begins underage drinking at or before the age of 15. “Youth who start drinking before age 15 years are six times more likely to develop a alcohol dependence or abuse.” (CDC.gov). So, why do teenagers continue to break the law and consume alcohol at such a young age? It seems teenagers do it, to feel good.

Alcohol tricks the brain's pleasure-reward system by stimulating the production of dopamine. It thus creates feelings of pleasure from a harmful chemical instead of a real experience.

Drinking alcohol in excessive amounts can cause lack of social skills and depression. When this behavior continues through young adult years, the brain becomes dependent on alcohol to cope with lack of social skills and depression. The brain becomes dependent and the person has to consume alcohol everyday to cope with life, causing the person to become an alcoholic through later years of life. Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination (www.niaaa.nih.gov). I think this is the reason why teenagers who drink alcohol have unpredictable behaviors or irritability. The activities they enjoyed become things of the past because all they think about is the next drink. Alcohol use in early years can cause life-long effects on the brain which can cause alcoholism leading someone to feel hopeless and committing suicide. This is definitely a concern, since suicide is one of the top causes of death in teens. When the brain is not developing cognitively, the student can struggle academically causing he or she to have behavior issues. Teens who admitted to heavy drinking have less brain activity. This is a concern since the brain is still developing during those teenage