The Media's Effects on Underage Drinking
             The use of alcohol is a major aspect of our society. It is used in religious ceremonies, during socialization, and its presence is seen everywhere. Second only to caffeine, more people drink alcohol than any other substance. It appears in many forms such as beer, wine, and hard liquor. It has been praised, denounced, accepted, and outlawed in the past century alone.
             The effects of alcohol are numerous. From drunk driving accidents to fetal alcohol syndrome, from liver disease to the increased chance of sexually transmitted disease, alcohol's reach is widespread. Alcohol contributes to 100,000 deaths annually, making it the third leading cause of preventable mortality in the United States (McGinnis, p. 2208). As well, 41% of all traffic fatalities, the leading cause of accidental death, are alcohol-related (NHTSA, sec 4. p.1).
             Underage drinking is a major problem in our society. Thirty-four percent of all high school seniors have had a drink in the past month (Johnston, p. ). As well, 1.2 million of these seniors are binge drinkers. (CASA, 1997). In eight grade, 1 million students admit they have been drunk (CASA, 1997). In 1996, nine million drinkers were under the age of twenty-one, and that number has increased since.
             Approximately two thirds of teenagers who drink can purchase their own beverages (HHS, p. 1). Even worse, people who begin drinking before age fifteen quadruple their chances of developing alcoholic tendencies (NIAAA, P. 1). Knowing this, the fact that 38.1% of children age fourteen have had a drink is quite disturbing.
             Everyone admits that it is a problem, and how widespread and dangerous it is, but no one really tackles the problem at hand. They blame it on parents, bad teaching, and more commonly peer pressure. Something had to first influence their peers to influence them. The excuse that people are more like to drink if their parents...