Underage Drinking
Waconia High School
Why is underage drinking a problem?
Legal Consequences
Physical
Health
Academic Success
Use of alcohol can harm a person’s brain, physical health, and personal safety.
Adolescents' minds and bodies are more susceptible to alcohol related damage than their adult counterparts. Studies have shown that people who start drinking at an earlier age, 14 years or younger, have a 30% higher risk of becoming alcohol dependent later in life than individuals who start drinking at age 21 or older.
It has also been shown that young people's inexperience with alcohol and inability to gauge and stick to their own limits increase the potential risk for harm, especially where drinking is paired with other activities, such as driving. Use of alcohol impairs reflexes and motor skills, which can lead to deadly outcomes.
Excessive alcohol use increases the risk for many deadly diseases, such as head, neck, esophagus, stomach, and/or liver cancer. Modern medicine has also linked heavy alcohol consumption memory loss and severe dementia later in life.
Underage drinking can have negative consequences on students’ academic success.
Underage drinking is associated with impaired intellectual development due to adolescent drinking induces brain structure abnormalities. Studies have shown that students who binge drink are more likely to report poor academic performance. These actions have been shown to lead to poor memory, impaired study habits, poor ability to learn, and poor academic performance.
Underage drinking has affected Waconia students’ academic performance. According to Mr. Ben Karnes, retired Waconia Sheriff of 22 years and Waconia High School Security Officer, in his professional experience he has seen drug and alcohol use affect student’s academics resulting in the common outcome of falling grades.
If caught drinking under the legal age, students will deal with negative legal consequences.
If caught participating in underage drinking, a person under the legal age of 21 will have to face legal consequences for his or her actions, which may include paying a fine, performing community service, or taking alcohol awareness classes.
According to Mr. Ben Karnes, retired Waconia Sheriff of 22 years and Waconia High School Security Officer, if a student is cited for underage drinking it will be put on his or her record as a criminal offense and then deal with the legal consequences from a court hearing. Karnes has also seen several indirect consequences when a student is cited for underage drinking. These indirect consequences include, but are not limited to: ability to participate in activities (if a student breaks a code of conduct, he or she cannot participate in activities for a specific amount of time depending on the violation) and lose the trust of authority in their life (e.g. teachers, administration, coaches).