It is a well-known, if infrequently discussed fact, that underage drinking is prevalent among teens. Recent studies that track trends in alcohol consumption among teens show no signs that the rate in alcohol consumption among teens is decreasing, which is a cause of public concern.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 14 percent of eighth graders, 29 percent of tenth graders, and 41 percent of twelfth graders had consumed at least one drink in the 30 days before being surveyed. Also, five percent of 8th graders, 15 percent of 10th graders, and 27 percent of 12th graders had been drunk. Globally, 320,000 people aged 15-29 years old die annually from alcohol-related causes, resulting in nine percent of all deaths in that age group.

Many students at WJ have said that they choose to drink because they like the effects that alcohol has on their emotional state. Several students said that they drink beer and vodka most frequently, because they are inexpensive and easy to obtain.

Sophomore Derek Yersly* and senior Samantha Daveson* both started drinking the summer before their ninth grade and drink about twice a month at parties.

“Drinking makes the party more fun, it makes you less hesitant [and] it makes people more fun, open and comfortable,” said Yersly.

Daveson has had similar experiences with alcohol.

“Alcohol enhances your party experience; it lightens your mood,” said Daveson. “It’s just fun. I think it’s worth the consequences.”

Many teens nationwide share these same motivations for underage drinking. Not surprisingly, studies show that as students get older, the frequency of alcohol consumption increases. Some students who drink see the dangers of underage drinking but decide to drink anyway.

“It’s kind of stupid that I’m doing it this young,” said freshman Mariella Sieber,* who normally drinks twice a month. “But it doesn’t affect anything other than the night [when I drink], not my grades or anything.”

Teens have different opinions about the impact that peer pressure plays in the decision of students

to drink.

“I was not pressured to drink by peers, I was pressured by my own curiosity,” said Yersly.

Some, however, do see peer pressure as a factor in teens’ decisions to drink.

“If you’re at a party and you’re not drinking, you get hated on,” said senior Jane Crawson.*

Students said that they normally get alcohol from older friends who buy it for them. Others will pay strangers, particularly the homeless, to buy alcohol for them. Crawson also mentioned that a few liquor stores in D.C. will sell alcohol to minors.

Students’ parents have varied attitudes toward drinking. Some parents are relaxed about underage drinking.

“My parents know about my drinking,” said Senior Paul Mayer,* who drinks about twice a month. “My family is Irish-American, so it’s not that big an issue for my family. My mom sometimes buys me beer.”

Other students said that their parents are more concerned about alcohol consumption.

“Once I got in trouble with drinking from my parents,” said sophomore Luke Madison.* “I was grounded for a couple weeks. I stopped drinking for a while after that; I was disgusted by the thought of alcohol. But then I started again.”

Some students find that their parents have relaxed attitudes toward drinking because they have lived in foreign countries, with more lenient policies about drinking than those in the U.S.

Sieber’s family is originally from Paraguay, where Sieber was born and lived until she was four.

“You can be so much more open there. [The drinking age is 18 in Paraguay, so] my mom offered my older brother alcohol in the U.S. when he was 18. The laws here are a lot stricter, so my mom’s not okay with me drinking now, but she probably will be when I’m a senior.”

Madison attributes his comfortable attitude with drinking partially to living in Peru for his freshman year of high school.

“In Peru, drinking is a part of the culture,” said Madison. “The drinking age is 18 in Peru, but you could walk into a store and be served before that.”

However, despite the casual attitudes some students have, continuous alcohol abuse can lead to serious health problems. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, intoxication can impair brain function and motor skills, and heavy use can increase risk of certain cancers, stroke and liver disease. Alcoholism or alcohol dependence can result, which is characterized by a strong craving for alcohol, or continued use despite harm or personal injury.

Some students have already witnessed negative consequences of underage drinking.

“Recently a girl at a party was so far gone [from excessive drinking] that we had to call an ambulance,” said Sieber.

Similarly, one of

Madison’s friends had to be hospitalized and have his stomach pumped

because he drank too much tequila too quickly.

Aside from health consequences, there can also be legal ramifications from underage drinking. Teens caught drinking underage can be cited by the police for alcohol use, resulting in the incident appearing on a teen’s criminal record.

“Earlier this year, I was at a friend’s house at a party, and the police came,” said Yersly. “We didn’t get cited, but the police called our parents.”

Sometimes teens worry more about the reaction of their parents to their alcohol use than they fear the risk of more serious consequences.

“Kids are sometimes more afraid of getting in trouble for drinking from their parents than of getting alcohol poisoning or dying from driving drunk,” said Mayer.

But other students are less concerned about the effects of alcohol.

“For me, it’s all or nothing,” said Daveson. “I don’t have limits. I don’t like being held back.”

*Name has been changed.