Answers to Questions 12-15

12. Do you know any incidents of people drinking under age?
As I searched on the Internet, I saw a new article about a boy who drink and drived, and killed his friend in a car accident.
In the September of 2012, a 19 year old boy who drove when he was drunk drove at the speed of 101 mph tried to fix the sound system of his car. However, the car carreered off the road, overturned, and landed in a field. It instantly killed his best friend, and left two other passengers injured. He was breath tested afterwards, and the result was twice the drink-drive limit. In the jury in April 2013, he was sentenced three years and four months in jail, and five years banned from drinking alcohol. It said that he had started to drive two months before the accident, and he was not used to driving.

Three Years in jail for teenager who killed friend in crash while driving DRUNK at 101 mph and Playing with his stereo. (2013). Retrieved 2015, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2313348/Teenage-drink-driver-Joseph-Salah-Eldin-killed-friend-Norfolk-crash-played-stereo.html


13. What are the health effects in drinking under age?
Teenagers are going through the period of adolescence, the time where they change from childhood to adulthood. During this period, there are changes in horomones and the brain. However, in the use of alcohol in this period will interrupt the development. The health effcts to each part of the body are listed as below:
To the Brain: Change in mood and behavior, uncoordinated movement and hard to think clearly

To the Heart: High blood pressure, strokes, irregular heatbeat

To the Liver: Fatty liver, cancer risk

Immune system: It can weaken your immune system, with easier probability of catching a disease

Other effects by drinking would be vomiting and coma from drinking alcohol without getting used to them. This is mainly caused because by alcohol misuse by young adults. It may increase mental damage such as feelings of depression and negative thoughts, which might lead to suicide or abuse. For adolescents, there is a likelihood of having unsafe sex.

"Alcohol's Effects on the Body." NIH. Web. 2015. http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body.

Health and social impacts of underage drinking. (n.d.). Retrieved 2015, from http://www.ias.org.uk/Alcohol-knowledge-centre/Underage-drinking/Factsheets/Health-and-social-impacts-of-underage-drinking.aspx


14. What does the government do to prevent people from drinking under age?

There are many state programs that try to reduce underage drinking. The health, human services, transportation, and criminal justice programs play this role. I saw that there were many committees and programs that prevent underage drinking.
SAMHSA is a large organization within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.It's mission is to reduce the impace of mental illness across the United States. They conduct campaigns for parents to prevent underage drinking. The main goals are:
1. Increase parents' awareness of the prevalence and risk of underage drinking
2. Equip parents with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to prevent underage drinking
3. Increase parents' actions to prevent underage drinking

Health and social impacts of underage drinking. (n.d.). Retrieved 2015, from http://www.ias.org.uk/Alcohol-knowledge-centre/Underage-drinking/Factsheets/Health-and-social-impacts-of-underage-drinking.aspx


15. Are there any laws to not make adults give alcohol to young people?

I would like to take the example of UK. In UK, the legal drinking age is ages over 18.
・selling alcohol to people under 18
・if the adult is buying alcohol for the underaged person
・for someone under 18 to buy alcohol, attempt to buy or to be sold alcohol
・to give children alcohol under the age of five
The concequences of breaking the law:

A policeman has the power to confiscate it if someone under 18 were drinking in a public space. If caught three times, they could face social contract, a fine, or arrest.

The law on alcohol and under 18s. Retrieved 2015, from https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/alcohol-and-the-law/the-law-on-alcohol-and-under-18s