Drugs and Alcohol

Riley Tucker

Period B-1

3/17/10

Research Essay

If teenagers knew that drinking now could lead to serious problems down the road, would they still do it? More than 4 in 10 people who begin drinking before age 15 eventually become alcoholics (NIAAA, 2007). Alcohol and marijuana alter a person's perceptions, emotions, movements, vision, and their hearing (TeensHealth, 2010). This means that drugs have a lot of control. Why would teens use something that would make them not in control? Drugs have partial control over someone's body, rather than them having full control of their own actions. The use of marijuana and alcohol among teens can result in poor decision making, which can lead to additional bad decisions, and behavioral and physical problems.

According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, almost 80% of high school students have tried alcohol (TeensHealth, 2010). When a percentage is that high, it is a serious problem. Depending on the person, intoxication can make someone very friendly and talkative, or very aggressive and angry. Of the 1,746 traffic fatalities among children ages 0 to 14 years in 2006, about one out of every six involved an alcohol-impaired driver (nrd, 2006). This shows when under the influence of alcohol, your decisions are very poor. Use of alcohol greatly increases the chance that a teen will be involved in a car crash, homicide, or suicide (TeensHealth, 2010). Drinking is a serious problem. Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States. It is a gateway drug which can lead to even worse drugs. Marijuana is not something to mess around with.

Teenagers are affected in many ways when using marijuana and alcohol. Young people who use marijuana weekly have double the risk of depression later in life (NIDA, 2008). This shows the use of marijuana can lead to behavioral problems later on down the road. Some short term effects marijuana has on teens are; problems with memory and learning, loss...