Underage Drinking at House Parties - Research Paper Example

?Legal Ramifications of House Parties with Underage Drinking Underage alcohol consumption is a common behavior in the United s of America where the minimum drinking age across all states is 21. There has been an increasing prevalence of drinking at young ages, as well as excessive drinking, drinking many drinks in a session. This essay explores the role that house parties play in the prevalence of underage drinking, what laws are in place and whether the current policies are adequate. The current levels of punishment for underage drinking and both selling and providing alcohol to minors appear to be insufficient to deter this behavior from being frequent, and in many cases people are not caught. Decreasing the prevalence of this would involve tightening current laws and policies as well as increasing monitoring, so that it is known more often when underage youth are being provided with alcohol. Introduction One important issue affecting the youth of today is drinking behavior, in particular underage drinking behavior. Currently the legal age for drinking in the United States is 21 years of age. However, there are a wide range of contexts in which individuals below the drinking age obtain alcohol, often through adults or individuals that are above the legal drinking age. There is a large amount of concern that the amount of underage youths that are drinking, and the amount of alcohol that they are consuming. On average young people appear to be drinking alcohol more frequently and are drinking more each time they do drink . One circumstance that this occurs in are house parties. The term house party covers a large range of situations, but can generally be considered a social gathering that occurs at someone’s place of residence. This can range from a couple of friends, through to more than 100 people. Often house parties are held by and for young adults, with college and high school students attending. The Prevalence of Underage Drinking Underage drinking is extremely prevalent even by the time that children reach the senior years of high school. Around 30% of seniors at high school report heavy drinking at least once per month, and 40% of full-time college students aged between 18 and 22 report heavy drinking. These statistics are alarming, as almost all of those children and young adults are below the minimum age for drinking. In addition, there are many harmful consequences of drinking and these are often amplified in younger drinkers, in part due to lower tolerances of alcohol and also less life experience . In 1984 an act was passed that encouraged each state to set their minimum drinking age to 21. By 1988, the minimum drinking age for all states was 21 . Alcohol is a significant factor in the deaths and unintentional injuries for many youth aged 15- to 20-, with the rate of drunk drivers under 21 twice that of adult drivers. As well as injury, there are many other costs of underage drinking, including problems at school, pregnancies and sexual diseases as a consequence of unsafe sexual practices and severe alcohol addiction . Why is Underage Drinking so Prevalent? Alcohol is widely available and easily obtainable for adults over the age of 21 through a number of different types of locations, including many that allow off premises consumption. There are little limitations in the quantity of alcohol that an adult can by, and no way of knowing what an adult intends to do with the alcohol that they buy. Despite the age restriction, alcohol is easy to obtain for those underage. Between 30 and 70 percent of outlets may sell to underage buyers, depending on the particular outlet and the location. Another common source of alcohol for underage drinkers is at parties where alcohol has been provided and the youths at the party have been left unsupervised . Drinking of alcohol is heavily advertised as beneficial, a method of socialization and of relaxing, and these advertisements affect youth as much or more than they do their target audience. In addition to this the enforcement of the minimum age that alcohol can be sold at is often lax, with many establishments prepared to sell alcohol to minors . Legal Responses The most important law in relation to underage drinking is, of course, the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). This police has been in place since 1988, however, it appears to do little to prevent underage drinking. In part this is connected to the ease in which youths have access to alcohol, and the social trends connected with drinking. For example, alcohol consumption in general, and particularly drinking many drinks within a sitting is much more common in youths who attend college, than those of the same age that do not attend college . The problem of underage drinking has been gaining government attention, with the Federal Trade Commission recently undertaking a review of the marketing and advertising practices of the alcohol industry. Since the review there have been a large number of programs initiated with the aim of reducing underage drinking, including federal programs operated through the Justice, Transportation and Health and Human Services Departments . Parties and Alcohol Parties are a common refuge for students of college and high school alike as well as for many young adults. Most commonly parties will be hosted at one person’s residence, either hosted by their parents or when their parents are away. In many cases, even if the parents are hosting the party, they will leave the youths unsupervised for much or all of the party. These circumstances make it very easy for underage youths to obtain and consume alcohol, often in excess. As well as encouraging underage individuals to drink, these parties make a form of drinking known as binge drinking especially prevalent. Binge drinking is a particular concern of health officials, and consists of heavy episodic drinking. It is often perceived that the chance of being caught for underage drinking at house parties is slim . The social aspect of these parties is high. Many youth go to them because it is expected of them, or because it helps them to gain social status. Once there many will drink as it is easy to, there is no one checking age, often the adults who were meant to be supervising have left, or there were never any. Legally, although underage drinking is against the law, the penalties for those who get at parties such as these are light and they do not appear to be having a significant effect on the number of people who engage in these parties. In many cases it is difficult if not impossible for the provider of the alcohol to be identified by authorities, as many times it can be one or multiple members at the party who are above 21 or underage members who acquired alcohol despite their age. Current laws are proving to be inadequate to stem the rise of underage drinking, and they are almost powerless to affect the social gatherings that occurring during house parties and the drinking that occurs there. Often authorities are unaware of the situation until it has already got out of hand, many people are drunk, loud and disorderly. Policies need to be updated to decrease the ease in which youth can get access to alcohol, and enforce the laws that are already in place. Many businesses indicated that they either would or did sell alcohol to underage youths . If harsher punishments and monitoring for such actions were in place, the availability of alcohol to underage youth would be reduced, and this may go a long way towards reducing the prevalence of such parties, and the rate of alcohol consumption in underage youth in general. Conclusion Underage drinking is an increasing trend, despite attempts through programs, policy and law to reduce the levels. There are few penalties for underage drinkers who are caught consuming alcohol, and catching them can often be difficult. House parties are one social occasion that many youth take advantage of to consume alcohol, often in excess. Supervision at these parties is lax, if at all present, and there is little means for prosecuting adults who provide alcohol in this manner to the underage, as it is difficult to determine who it was that provided the alcohol. References Bonnie, R. J., & O'Connell, M. E. (2004). Reducing underage drinking: A collective responsibility (Vol. 1): National Academy Press, XV, 13-20. Honess, T., Seymour, L., & Webster, R. (2000). The social contexts of underage drinking: Home Office, Communications and Development Unit, Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, 1-5. Wagenaar, A. C., & Toomey, T. L. (2002). Effects of minimum drinking age laws: review and analyses of the literature from 1960 to 2000. Journal of studies on alcohol, 14(14), 206 225. Wechsler, H., Lee, J. E., Nelson, T. F., & Kuo, M. (2002). Underage college students' drinking behavior, access to alcohol, and the influence of deterrence policies: Findings from the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. Journal of American College Health, 50(5), 223-236.  Read More