Somewhere a mother waits up for her sixteen-year-old daughter who went to a “birthday” party with her new boyfriend. The
girl’s curfew was ten o’clock and it is now twelve-thirty. There comes a knocking on the door, the mother opens it to find a police officer, hat in hand, trying to find the right words to break the news gently to the worried mother. The “birthday” party was really a beer bash and at ten o’clock when the girl finally made it clear that she had to go home, the young man who had already had far too much to drink, decided to drive her home, and passed out while driving, on the train track. The locomotive was traveling about 80mph carrying the car about two miles down the tracks. The girl never had a chance to get out of the car before the train hit. The girl died on impact and the boy was pronounced DOA at the local hospital.
There is a worried mother pacing the floor….
How many mothers have to have their families shattered by the unexpected death of their children? It is hard enough for teenagers today to grow-up. The pressures of being young are, in some cases, overwhelming. However these pressures are doubled when these young people go out and get drunk every night. Teens who consume
alcohol run the risk of not growing up mentally, damaging their internal organs, and they even risk their very life. Teenagers are dying way too young due to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Young minds must be protected whether they want to be or not the legal age for the purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages should be raised to twenty-five.
Alcohol clouds the mind and numbs the brain. Heavy drinking causes the reflexes to be sluggish. When minors get drunk, their mental processes get messed up. Some teenagers think he/she really needs a drink in order to deal with school and homework. The scribbles they call penmanship would make a newborn baby’s scribbles look like the work of a genius. The brain controls the higher motor functions as well. With an alcohol-induced cloud all body functions run rampant. These teens cannot pass even the simplest of tests. Even walking becomes hazardous to the drinker’s health, because the legs become wobbly, causing them to sashay into the path of a speeding car.
Alcohol attacks the internal organs, causing for instance, the liver to stop producing natural insulin resulting in diabetes or other toxins. Pancreatic cancer is a side effect of over indulgence. This deadly disease could eat the bones and the stomach. These are only a few of the effects that older drinkers face after a lifetime of drinking. When a teenager starts drinking at an early age the results can prove to be devastating. The still maturing body of a teenager will have to work even harder to keep itself from becoming shriveled up, tired, and old before their time.
Finally alcohol contributes to about one-fourth of the car crashes in this state alone and about half of those are minors who are drinking and driving. Even if they do not die in the crash, they could be crippled for life, both physically and emotionally.
Teens argue with their
parents, “I am grown up enough to handle the alcohol!” or “ But all my friends drink, why can’t I?” “My friends said if I want to remain their friend I HAVE to drink with them.” Then there is the old stand by “But, Mom, it makes me feel grown up.”
When explaining the terrible things alcohol can do to the young person’s body, if the parents do not beat around the bush will have the best results. Most young people are receptive to the truth. Even if the young people still wants to experiment with alcohol, their parents should insist on the minor doing the experimenting in a safe place. Even if the parent feels it would be best after the child’s body matures enough to be able to withstand the destructive forces of alcohol.
Children are not grown up and they do not always know what is best for their growing bodies. Parents can not be expected to be with their childrenevery moment of the day so it is important to instill into the child’s mind that it is alright to say no to alcohol even when their friends are insisting they should imbibe. This might insure that child’s survival.