Spring Break
Is it worth it?
Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
10/24/08 - Just earlier this week, 17-year-old Taylor Meyer's body was found in a swampy area after the Plainville, Mass. resident attended an underage drinking party following a victorious homecoming game with her friends. She was found less than 100 yards from where she left her friends, walking away to call for a ride home, according to recent reports.
Though it is unclear at this time whether Meyer was really drinking or not, police say the teens were imbibing beer and vodka shots, according to the Boston Globe.
And while Meyers was a high school student, her and her friends' behavior echoes University of Rhode Island students who throw caution to the winds and skirt the law to have a good time.
But almost every year, the university suffers a student loss from alcohol, whether it's alcohol poisoning, drunken driving or other aftermath of a party-gone-too-far.
Too often, the rules and regulations that govern alcohol consumption and buying go unnoticed, ending a night in tragedy.
In a time where fake IDs are harder to obtain, and even harder to get by those selling alcohol, it would seem that the profit of alcohol sales would decrease.
But, according to a 2003 report in the American Medical Association, alcohol is still the leading drug of choice among teenagers. Those aged 12 to 20 years old consumed 19.7 percent of all the drinks consumed in one month in the entire country. To put it into perspective, the same report says this is equivalent to about 831 million drinks per month.
In Rhode Island, the laws are getting tougher. Police now park themselves outside of liquor stores to catch underage drinkers, and those who buy for them, and RI law prohibits the transportation of any form of liquor with an underage person in the vehicle.
Laws are put into place for a reason. The only way to combat underage drinking is by preventing it from happening in the first place. Be the bigger person, and just say no to friends pleading for a handle of a liquor store's finest vodka.
One decision can lead to a life-altering event. The statistics speak for themselves. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, 16,885 people in the United States died in alcohol-related vehicle crashes in 2005.
There's no room for error, and there's certainly no room for a criminal record.
If you're 21, is up to $1,000 and the possibility of six months in jail worth buying a six-pack for your next-door neighbor? The possibility of your one purchase leading to the death or injury of a friend?
Chances are, probably not.
Though it is unclear at this time whether Meyer was really drinking or not, police say the teens were imbibing beer and vodka shots, according to the Boston Globe.
And while Meyers was a high school student, her and her friends' behavior echoes University of Rhode Island students who throw caution to the winds and skirt the law to have a good time.
But almost every year, the university suffers a student loss from alcohol, whether it's alcohol poisoning, drunken driving or other aftermath of a party-gone-too-far.
Too often, the rules and regulations that govern alcohol consumption and buying go unnoticed, ending a night in tragedy.
In a time where fake IDs are harder to obtain, and even harder to get by those selling alcohol, it would seem that the profit of alcohol sales would decrease.
But, according to a 2003 report in the American Medical Association, alcohol is still the leading drug of choice among teenagers. Those aged 12 to 20 years old consumed 19.7 percent of all the drinks consumed in one month in the entire country. To put it into perspective, the same report says this is equivalent to about 831 million drinks per month.
In Rhode Island, the laws are getting tougher. Police now park themselves outside of liquor stores to catch underage drinkers, and those who buy for them, and RI law prohibits the transportation of any form of liquor with an underage person in the vehicle.
Laws are put into place for a reason. The only way to combat underage drinking is by preventing it from happening in the first place. Be the bigger person, and just say no to friends pleading for a handle of a liquor store's finest vodka.
One decision can lead to a life-altering event. The statistics speak for themselves. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, 16,885 people in the United States died in alcohol-related vehicle crashes in 2005.
There's no room for error, and there's certainly no room for a criminal record.
If you're 21, is up to $1,000 and the possibility of six months in jail worth buying a six-pack for your next-door neighbor? The possibility of your one purchase leading to the death or injury of a friend?
Chances are, probably not.
