First post of the year!

Welcome, readers, to the New Year! This will be my first post of 2009, and I hope you enjoy.

I’m going to start the year off on a scolding tone. Frankly, I am sick and tired of the destructive decisions of some teenagers.

I am talking about alcohol.

Now, I’m not some prohibitionist who wants to see it outlawed for all. When used legally by adults in moderation safely, there is nothing wrong with it. To ban it because of the alcoholism of a few underaged users is unfair to people who can use it safely. What really pisses me off are people who are underage who drink and break the law.

I know the industry targets youth. As an active member of Students Against Destructive Decisions on the national level, I’ve been educated on all the things that make teens drink. And I’m not against teen drinking because it’s against the law (there are lots of laws out there I don’t agree with).

Frankly, teenage drinking is stupid, self-destructing, and unsafe. Teens seem to think they can handle booze, but for most teens that’s not true. It is a drug; it changes chemicals in the brain, which is still developing until the age of 20. So not only is the teenage brain incapable of handling booze, it screws things up even more.

I have a lot of faith in people my age: I know teens can change the world and be very influential on society. I just don’t believe we can handle booze.

Over New Year’s, a closeted friend of mine got wasted and came out to a friend. The next morning, he denied it and played the whole thing off as a joke, thus “saving” himself. This is just one example of what can happen when you drink!

If you drink, you could make the same dumb types of choices. If you’re not emotionally ready to come out, and you act like my friend, there could be dangerous consequences. You could also die of alcohol poisoning, have unprotected sex resulting in an STD or pregnancy (yes, sometimes gay people can sleep with members of the opposite sex while drunk), get in a car accident and hurt/kill yourself or another person, or millions of other horrible things. Studies also show people who drink at a young age have a greater chance of developing alcoholism.

You don’t have to drink to have fun. You don’t have to drink to get rid of your pain. You certainly don’t have to drink to be popular or well-liked. I am begging you to make the right decision, and wait until you’re 21. The law is there for your protection. Don’t let it fail you.