Mercer County, Ohio has one of the highest underage drinking percentages per capita in the country. Social media is full of pictures of teenagers partying and drinking on the weekends. When they post the pictures they think it makes them popular and cool. As teens, we think we are indestructible and we are in control of our lives and everything in it, but we all must face the reality, we aren’t. Every weekend there is at least one party in my community and I have witnessed students actually show up to sporting events drunk. Alcohol affects the physical as well as the mental health of people; it can cause brain damage and alcohol poisoning and can lead to addictions. High school students drinking alcohol also affects the people around them because …show more content…
In my opinion, the only way to stop parties and underage drinking is to start at what I believe is the base of the problem, the popular kids and athletes.
I believe the best way to stop athletes from drinking is to keep pressuring them positively and enforce greater discipline on them. In Ohio, athletes are warned about the consequences of drinking during season and must sign a contract before they are allowed to participate in a sport. Even though athletes are given the rules and understand the consequences, yet still some decide to break the rules when they consume alcohol.
Most teenagers drink and party on the weekends, which makes it hard for school faculty or coaches to detect it. The only way to catch teenagers who drink is to test them right after the weekend. I propose that high schools and the Ohio High School Athletic Association should be required to give athletes alcohol tests on every Monday. If athletes know they will be tested after the weekend and recognize that they may be discharged from the team, they will be intimidated and less likely to drink. Alcohol can stay in a person’s body for two to three days. If students drink on a Friday night after a football game, the alcohol will most likely still be in their system on