Alcohol usage among adolescent

Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth. Many young people are experiencing the consequences of drinking too much, at too early an age. As a result, underage drinking is a leading public health problem in this country. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide. As children move from adolescence to young adulthood, they encounter dramatic physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes. Developmental transitions, such as puberty and increasing independence, have been associated with alcohol use. Alcohol is the world's third largest risk factor for disease and contributes to 4% of the global burden of disease. A legal minimum age for the buying or consuming of alcohol is in place in many of the world's countries, typically with the intent to protect the young from alcohol-related harm. This age varies between countries; for example, the minimum legal drinking age for Australia is 18, whereas the MLDA in the United States is 21. Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience School problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades, Social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities, Legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk, Physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses, Unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity, Disruption of normal growth and sexual development, Memory problems, Abuse of other drugs etc. Regular use of alcohol and other risk-taking behaviours such as smoking, substance use and risky sexual behaviour emerge in adolescence are risky activities of life. There are a number of ways to preventing alcoholism throughout adolescents. One of the main ways to do this is to "Promote an understanding of underage alcohol consumption in the context of human development and maturation that takes into account individual adolescent characteristics as well as environmental, ethic, cultural and gender differences". Another way in preventing underage drinking would be by reducing the cultural forces which are encouraging and supporting underage drinking will also contribute to preventing adolescents from consuming alcohol as a culture in which adolescents feel that it is acceptable, will allow them to think that it is appropriate. Another important component to preventing alcoholism throughout adolescence is the responsibility of the government, to send a message to underage drinkers informing them how themselves and the rest of society strongly disapprove underage alcohol use because of the severe consequences it can cause and also informing that it will not be tolerated.