 Kristen
- Underage Alcohol Abuse 
9/30/2003; 9:23:59 AM (reads: 29297, responses:
5) |
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My topic is Underage Drinking Among Teenagers. Originally I wanted to do my paper on underage drinking and Illegal Drug Use because I felt very strongly on both issues and believed I could present a better point by analyzing both problems together. However, Kristen O wanted to do the same thing so we split it up. I am focusing solely on underage drinking. In a way, I think it will be better this way because my topic focuses on just one aspect so I can concentrate on just one area and go more in depth into the core of the teen drinking problem. It probably would have been extremely hard to juggle statistics of drug use AND statistics from underage drinking. The questions that I will ask regarding the underage drinking problem among teens are: How widespread is the underage drinking problem? Has it worsened over the past few years? What are some of the causes of this ongoing social problem? What are some of the consequences of this social problem (drinking & driving)? How does the drinking problem relate to stress/family environment among teens?
I am very interested in this topic because I know first hand how pervasive this social dilemma is. Being a high school student, I have witnessed multiple incidents where drinking was present, and caused problems. I think underage drinking is a very important topic to analyze because teens fail to realize what consequences may arise from one little “night of fun.” A large majority of teens, many times, also choose to drink and drive. They fail to see that not only does this put their OWN lives in danger, but it inflicts danger upon everyone else on the roads. Teens not only drink illegally, but they do not even do it responsibly. This is, in effect, two problems within one. Drinking is becoming socially acceptable among teens, and at the rate we’re going now, it will probably become a norm. This is a very big issue.
I plan to conduct my research by using books and websites to give me statistics on how young kids start to drink, and what causes teens to drink at such an early age. Also I plan to use my personal experiences in my paper. I am also going to interview Mrs. Copeland to get a general overview on the drinking situation among the teens at Hunterdon Central. I believe this will give me plenty of information to write about and to get my point across strongly.
Posted by Kristen on 10/1/03; 11:47:52 AM
from the dept.
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Agata
- Re: Underage Alcohol Abuse
10/2/2003; 4:28:22 PM (reads: 16271, responses:
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Kristen- I think your topic is going to be extremely interesting since since underage alcohol abuse is one of the major problems not only within society, but also affecting many students hear at our school. I think it is also interesting how you are going to give your own personal life experience because this will give other students the chance to see how serious of a problem this is. One additional resource that you could use that you did not mention in your weblog is you could do a survey in the school, surveying students from each grade level. Then this way you would be able compare each grade levels answers. I think that with all the statistics that you will be finding you some type of trend dealing with alcohol abuse in different age groups. Overall, I think your topic is really interesting and I think there is a lot of information out there that you will find so good luck!
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Emily
- Re: Underage Alcohol Abuse
10/2/2003; 6:22:27 PM (reads: 16559, responses:
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| Kristen-
I agree, underage alcohol abuse is basically running rampant throughout our society. I think your questions will give you a good chance to see how underage drinking effects all of society. Maybe you should pick, or invent, a case where a boy/girl suffers some of the effects of drinking. Also, don't forget to talk about what may have happened in teenager's families and past that would cause them to drink. Peer pressure is also a very important subject to breech.
If I were doing your topic, I would definately conduct a survey, maybe two. One for teenagers in school and one for adults out of school. Maybe even teachers. You might be even able to observe underage drinking going on. We all know how prevalent this practise is, especially in Central. I dont know if you will be allowed to do this, because technically it is illegal, but maybe since you wouldnt be drinking yourself, and because it's for school, it would be aceptable. If not, then you could definately find someone who has been to one of these parties to interview. I think that you will have no problem at all finding a lot of examples and facts to help you along. Good work!
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Laura
- Re: Underage Alcohol Abuse
10/2/2003; 6:59:25 PM (reads: 16301, responses:
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Kristen- Underage drinking is, like your said, almost considered the "norm". I love that you are doing you paper on the most popular topic of the senior year, drinking. High School kids lives almost revolve around drinking. They work hard all week to reach the weekend where they drink away. Although these kids are all underage there is always a place for teens to get alcohol. Responsibility is also a key issue, kids have always been taught how to stay no drink yet no one taught them how to drink responsibly. For other sources I think that you could interview the police to see what they do to handle underage drinking. But I think that your paper will be full of many truths and many realities of teenage social habits. Good luck!
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Kristen O
- Re: Underage Alcohol Abuse
10/2/2003; 7:42:42 PM (reads: 16342, responses:
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Kristen - Your topic is of course interesting to me because it's what I wanted to do as well. I think that you should issue a survey to students in Hunterdon Central to get their perspective on alcohol use. The only thing you're going to have to take into consideration, which I'm going to have to do as well, is that if you issue a survey, students may lie because they think they could get in trouble. But it's no secret that alcohol use is a big problem at our school, so you could get some really good data from our school. I like the idea of using your personal experiences in your paper, and I agree with Emily that doing a case study of a certain party is an excellent idea. Also, Laura has a good point that you should speak with the police in the area. It's always in the newspapers that teenagers have been caught drinking alcohol, so you should have no problem getting a police officer to talk about it. Good luck with everything!!
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leslie
- Re: Underage Alcohol Abuse
10/2/2003; 8:53:58 PM (reads: 16315, responses:
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Kristen -
I agree completely with your statements about drinking becoming a huge issue among teens in today's society. Your topic is going to be very engaging to read about because it is something everyone can relate to. Everyone has had an experience with alcohol whether or not they drank it they have come in contact with someone who has. Alcohol is a very big influence on teenagers today and it will be good to read about some statistics and facts to find out why teens feel the need to drink illegally. Good questions as well they really explore the major concerns and unique aspects of the topic.
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