It’s hardly a veiled secret that teenagers under the age of 18 are drinking on a regular basis these days. In fact, all too often, this truth is too well known. We are harassed with pictures of intoxicated youths losing their dignity in the media, and highlighting the imperfections in the law system protecting them. But is it really all that bad? Is alcohol a way of causing trouble or simply a break from conformity and rules, at an age where the temptation of rebellion appears to be inbuilt in our muddled minds?
I am 16, and my perception of alcohol has changed greatly through the past year or two. Before, alcohol was a forbidden idea that lived purely in the ‘negative zone’ of my parent’s rulebook. It kills people, tears families apart and above all is something only the ‘trouble kids’ do. But now, alcohol is familiar to me. I’m not afraid of it. I understand the rules and the risks, but now that I can grasp an idea of why people want to drink I see it as less of a cardinal sin and more of a fun way to oppose the orthodoxy stressed upon young people. Parents often worry that their children are being pressured by their peers into doing things like drugs and drinking, but in reality, I receive more pressure from my parents and teachers than my peers. There is a limit a teenager can be pushed to, and too many rules often result in more rebellion.
If we’re given things we will often accept them sensibly, but if we are denied them, we will only go and find them for ourselves.