Drinking, is it worth it?

Jessica Rasdall and Laura Gorman were 18, best friends and in their freshman year in
college. They liked to go out together and party, which included drinking. But one early February
night in 2006 they didn't make it home together. They had gone drinking at a club and within an
hour of leaving, Gorman was dead and Rasdall was critically injured.( Goldberg, A. B., 2009)
Teens and underage drinking is a big problem in America.Most people probably know
this but underage drinking is bad. Yes, it is up to the person to chose to drink, but they cant take
all the blame. Alcohol affects behavior that is more prominent in teens due their undeveloped
brain.
Alcohol also in teens body can cause them to make some very bad decisions, as it does
in adult, but due to their underdeveloped brain it affects them more.
Alcohol affects many parts of the brain, such as the cerebral cortex, which control your
senses and with alcohol in the mix it impairs the senses. It also affects the frontal lobes which is
in charge of decisions, idea, and self control. In teens, this is already not fully working, which is
probably why teenagers choose to drink, but when one chooses to drink they find it even harder
to control themselves, and the result of that could lead to binge drinking(no self control), driving
drunk,or getting in a car with a drunk driver ( bad decision skills).
While under the influence, judgement is greatly impaired , which leads an abundance of
risky behavior. There is many risky behavior one can take part in, such as criminal activity,
(McArthur, G. J., unknown)which could be stealing, homicide, a variety of other crimes that
someone wouldn't commit while sober. Early alcohol use can lead to the use of even more
dangerous, harddrugs. Teens also make bad decisions, such as thinking it a great idea to jump
off a 20 foot wall, and end up breaking their legs. An incredibly terrible choice a person can
make is deciding to drive while under the influence, which may result in serious personal injury
to oneself and others, and death.
Drunk driving one of the most dangerous result of drinking. The highest killer in teens in
vehicular crashes, 60% of all those involved alcohol.(Rodgers, M., 2015) Every 15 minutes a
teenager will die due to drunk driving.(MedicineNet, 2015)56% of teens killed in drinking and
driving accidents were not wearing their seat belts. The legal limit is 0.08% for you blood alcohol
level, above this you should not be driving. If one is caught with a 0.08 blood alcohol level or
higher while driving you will be charged with a DUI, which can range from fines to jail time.
People shouldn't be mad for getting charged with a DUI because they might have saved your
life, another person's life, and many years in prison.
Unfortunately for Rasdall and Gorman this wasn't the case. Gorman was dead , and
Rasdall was badly hurt, and could spend 10-18 years in prison on the charge of vehicular
manslaughter among other charges. Although maxine punishment was sought she only spent
four years in jail..( Goldberg, A. B., 2009)
The decision to drive after drink is a life and death choice, that can change the course of
someone's life, dramatically. When making the decision to get in car to drive, a person probably
not thinking about the consequences what may happen if someone does drive or are thinking
about it but think that's not going to happen to me, I am going to make it home safe and sound.

That was mostly likely going through Rasdall when she decide to drive home after having some
drinks, but it did happen to her and many others.
Alcohol and teens do not mix well, it greatly impairs them in making decisions, which
results in dangerous behavior, one of the most dangerous being drunk driving. The possibilities
of something bad happening are endless after drinking, including death, and extended time in
jail. One day your best friend could be there the next day she isn't . The risk of drinking as
adolescent is not worth the drink, wait to drink.
Sources
Rodgers, M. (2015, March 10). Teenage Drunk Driving Facts - The Sad Truth. Retrieved
November 16, 2015, from http://www.drive-safely.net/teenage-drunk-driving/
Alcohol and Teens: Learn the Effects of Teenage Drinking. (14, March 12). Retrieved November
18, 2015, from
http://www.medicinenet.com/alcohol_and_teens/article.htm#what_are_the_dangerous_effects_o
f_alcohol_use_in_teei
McArthur, G. J. (n.d.). Patterns of alcohol use and multiple risk behaviour by gender during early
and late adolescence: The ALSPAC cohort. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from
http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/34/suppl_1/i20.full
Goldberg, A. B. (2009, June 2). Drunken Driving Crash Shattered Teen's Life. Retrieved
November 23, 2015, from http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=7726721