Driving at night in deer country is nerve wracking. You are at a stoplight. Everything seems save so you drive out into the middle of the lane. All the sudden here comes this car. Then, It runs the red light, and crashes into you. What happens in the next 5 seconds do you think? What about your family, your friends, your life? Underage drinking is a huge problem in todays society.

Firstly, The cost of underage drinking is huge. There are hospital bills to think about. Lawyers cost millions. Rehab treatments cost money. Insurance, the cost of alcohol itself, and so many other things that are included in the cost of drinking. My mother in the Operating Room Manager of Evanston Regional Hospital. She says that whenever there is a drunk driver who has crashed, they send those 18 or 19 people straight to Salt Lake because they are so beat up. These expenses add up to about $28 million a year. That is $2,967 per yer for each youth in Wyoming. Are you willing to pay the price of underage drinking?


Along with that, we would higher the death and injury rate by lowering the drinking age. Sure, since the drinkers would be younger, there would be less people drinking who could legally carry a gun. But how do you think gang members get a hold of guns? What makes you think that the kids drinking aren't the ones trying to forget the bullying or ruthlessness in their lives? They might just be able to sooner rationalize that death is better than that. They might commit homicide, suicide, car crashes. They might even get retaliation on those people in their life who they feel is responsible for their pain. Youth Violence in the state of Wyoming because of underage drinking adds up to $68.7 million per year. That is just injury, let alone everything else.

As you know, Absenteeism is already a problem in high schools, but by lowering the drinking age, we are going to make that problem come up in middle schools as well. By lowering the drinking age, we are tempting younger students into trying some. In high school, there are probably several students absent today because of a hangover. These students might just become so addicted they are dependent on alcohol. Or, they might have to go into rehab. In 2007, 515 people between the ages of 12-20 were admitted for alcohol treatment programs. That accounts for 18% of all treatment admissions in Wyoming and $18.1 million. And probably most of the reasons for continuous absenteeism.

So, maybe you are thinking that if we do lower it, it would reduce the amount of teens in prison or juvie because of underage possession. Sure, I agree. Partly. We would NOT have less underage possession. That possession would be among different ages of people. (It would be in the preteens and younger teens.) It might be easier for teens who have already drank alcohol to get it. Some kids think that if there is a rule within grasp, they just have to break it. Personally, I know quite a few kids who, if we were to lower the drinking age, might try drinking alcohol. Lowering the drinking age would just cause younger kids to drink underage, and possess alcohol underage.

Furthermore, there are lots of ways that alcohol can affect the body. And there are only a few that a child might live through. You could get alcohol poisoning. Or some babies might end up with FAS. Or in other words, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. FAS is the leading cause of mental and physical disabilities in the U.S. Also, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism said that alcohol abuse can lead to confusion, stupor,a can't-be-roused-no-matter-what deep sleep, vomiting, seizures, irregular breathing patterns, and even hypothermia. Which of those do you think that a person can live through if they do often enough?

However, a survey from a random 9th to 12th grade school was taken in 2007. The results of teenage drinking in this survey cam across like this.“In 2007 9th - 12th graders said that: 76% have had 1 or more drinks. 42% had tasted alcohol before the age of 13. 29% had drank 1 or more drinks in the past 30 days alone. 29% had 5 or more drinks in the past 30 days. An 7% had possessed alcohol on school property in the past 30 days. Are you willing to pay the price of underage drinking? Because it can only become a bigger problem.