Alcohol Awareness Month:
Think Before You Drink
By Katie Wood
“Many young people can understand the tough things such as physics and chemistry, but don’t seem to understand the dangers of drinking alcohol,” states Bath Sise, representative of the Trauma Center at Mercy Hospital. Alcohol is the #1 drug of choice among high school students in the United States, and it’s a huge problem.
Officials of the San Diego County wanted to spread the word of the severe dangers of the popular celebration spot for San Diego kids: Tijuana. In TJ the legal drinking as is 18, so going there and getting completely wasted is a huge fad among young people. Little do they think: even though TJ is close by the US, it is still part of a completely different country, with different laws.
In the United States if in an emergency, we know we can always call 911 and the police will be at the scene in a matter of a few minutes. However in Mexico calling 911 won’t help you since it’s not the number of the police station. Even if you did know how to contact the authorities in Mexico, do you really think that you will be able to clearly communicate with somebody who speaks a different language as you do? Not only that, but getting past the border is getting tougher.
As of January, it is required to have two forms of ID to enter the country (school ID cards are not accepted). If your passage is denied, you are held at the boarder until a parent comes to pick you up. Not to mention the heavy fine that goes along with the inconvenience.
We all have the common sense to know that alcohol is bad for our health, but how bad? Alcohol is poison. It requires no digestion, and as soon as it is consumed it’s rapidly absorbed in the stomach and goes straight to the blood stream. Alcohol doesn’t only affect you while intoxicated but also causes long-term damage to your health and body. Believe it or not, drinking is equally as unhealthy as smoking. Evidence proves even rare alcohol consumption is adolescence could result in permanent brain damage. Alcohol affects the area in your brain used for reflex activity, judgment, thinking, and reasoning, and this part of the brain is not finished developing until the age of 25.
The younger one starts drinking, the greater chance of becoming an alcoholic. Being an alcoholic is a disease. You may think “but I’m just a kid. It’s not possible for me to become an addict,” that’s not true; there are many teenage alcoholics who are looking at a lifetime of problems in their health, relationships, and education.
Alcohol ads are everywhere, alcohol companies want you to drink. Selling alcohol is their business and they do not care about your health. All they want is your money. Drinks such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade, coolers, alcopops, Smirnoff ice and various other sweet malted alcohol beverages are targeted for younger, newer drinkers. The alcohol industry rakes in about $22.5 billion a year, a large percent of the sales are from underage drinkers.
“It’s not you that you have to worry about, it’s the world, you must watch out for what is going on around you, and not let your friends drag you into making dumb decisions,” states Sgt. Wes Albers of the San Diego Police Department. Peer pressure from friends and others is where it all starts. Do you think young people would still drink if their friends didn’t think it was cool? “Doing the right thing is not always easy,” states Thai Nguyen president of SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) at Scripps Ranch High School. Just saying no in the beginning can save you from many long-term problems.
Alcoholics do not only hurt themselves— they hurt everybody close to them. There are group-counseling centers that are especially meant for those who have been affected by a loved one’s drinking. In San Diego Country Alateen is a counseling group that helps those who have been through tough experiences on account of another’s addiction. They are able to share their stories and provide support for one another to be strong. “At Alateen we keep the attention on ourselves and don’t allow others’ bad decisions to drag the rest of us down,” states Kathy Austin an Alateen representative.
You do not have to be an alcoholic to have one bad drunk experience ruin your life. Alcohol is the #1 ranked date rape drug, and girls, you are the targets. DUI are another good example of how alcohol could affect ones life in a negative way. If pulled over by the police and charged with a DUI on average one must pay around $15,000 and that is if there is no damage or accident. When driving under the influence you are putting your own and others’ safety at risk, which is really selfish. If you really think about it and consider it, is it really worth it? Remember you don’t have to be drunk to have a good time.
“Use your head. Everybody has the tools to make the right choice. We can come up with fancy statistics, but the bottom line is use your head,” Sgt. Albers tell us. Its up to you to make the right choices in life, you know the difference between right and wrong. Use your common sense and do the right thing.
Katie Wood and Manoah Segawa join other reporters at the Alcohol Awareness press conference.
Think Before You Drink
By Katie Wood
“Many young people can understand the tough things such as physics and chemistry, but don’t seem to understand the dangers of drinking alcohol,” states Bath Sise, representative of the Trauma Center at Mercy Hospital. Alcohol is the #1 drug of choice among high school students in the United States, and it’s a huge problem.
Officials of the San Diego County wanted to spread the word of the severe dangers of the popular celebration spot for San Diego kids: Tijuana. In TJ the legal drinking as is 18, so going there and getting completely wasted is a huge fad among young people. Little do they think: even though TJ is close by the US, it is still part of a completely different country, with different laws.
In the United States if in an emergency, we know we can always call 911 and the police will be at the scene in a matter of a few minutes. However in Mexico calling 911 won’t help you since it’s not the number of the police station. Even if you did know how to contact the authorities in Mexico, do you really think that you will be able to clearly communicate with somebody who speaks a different language as you do? Not only that, but getting past the border is getting tougher.
As of January, it is required to have two forms of ID to enter the country (school ID cards are not accepted). If your passage is denied, you are held at the boarder until a parent comes to pick you up. Not to mention the heavy fine that goes along with the inconvenience.
We all have the common sense to know that alcohol is bad for our health, but how bad? Alcohol is poison. It requires no digestion, and as soon as it is consumed it’s rapidly absorbed in the stomach and goes straight to the blood stream. Alcohol doesn’t only affect you while intoxicated but also causes long-term damage to your health and body. Believe it or not, drinking is equally as unhealthy as smoking. Evidence proves even rare alcohol consumption is adolescence could result in permanent brain damage. Alcohol affects the area in your brain used for reflex activity, judgment, thinking, and reasoning, and this part of the brain is not finished developing until the age of 25.
The younger one starts drinking, the greater chance of becoming an alcoholic. Being an alcoholic is a disease. You may think “but I’m just a kid. It’s not possible for me to become an addict,” that’s not true; there are many teenage alcoholics who are looking at a lifetime of problems in their health, relationships, and education.
Alcohol ads are everywhere, alcohol companies want you to drink. Selling alcohol is their business and they do not care about your health. All they want is your money. Drinks such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade, coolers, alcopops, Smirnoff ice and various other sweet malted alcohol beverages are targeted for younger, newer drinkers. The alcohol industry rakes in about $22.5 billion a year, a large percent of the sales are from underage drinkers.
“It’s not you that you have to worry about, it’s the world, you must watch out for what is going on around you, and not let your friends drag you into making dumb decisions,” states Sgt. Wes Albers of the San Diego Police Department. Peer pressure from friends and others is where it all starts. Do you think young people would still drink if their friends didn’t think it was cool? “Doing the right thing is not always easy,” states Thai Nguyen president of SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) at Scripps Ranch High School. Just saying no in the beginning can save you from many long-term problems.
Alcoholics do not only hurt themselves— they hurt everybody close to them. There are group-counseling centers that are especially meant for those who have been affected by a loved one’s drinking. In San Diego Country Alateen is a counseling group that helps those who have been through tough experiences on account of another’s addiction. They are able to share their stories and provide support for one another to be strong. “At Alateen we keep the attention on ourselves and don’t allow others’ bad decisions to drag the rest of us down,” states Kathy Austin an Alateen representative.
You do not have to be an alcoholic to have one bad drunk experience ruin your life. Alcohol is the #1 ranked date rape drug, and girls, you are the targets. DUI are another good example of how alcohol could affect ones life in a negative way. If pulled over by the police and charged with a DUI on average one must pay around $15,000 and that is if there is no damage or accident. When driving under the influence you are putting your own and others’ safety at risk, which is really selfish. If you really think about it and consider it, is it really worth it? Remember you don’t have to be drunk to have a good time.
“Use your head. Everybody has the tools to make the right choice. We can come up with fancy statistics, but the bottom line is use your head,” Sgt. Albers tell us. Its up to you to make the right choices in life, you know the difference between right and wrong. Use your common sense and do the right thing.
Katie Wood and Manoah Segawa join other reporters at the Alcohol Awareness press conference.
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Mission Bay High School ·
2475 Grand Ave, San Diego, California 92109 · (858) 273-1313