Political Advocacy: Teenage Alcohol Consumption

Political Advocacy: Teenage Alcohol Consumption
Student’s Name:
Institution:
Dear xxxx County Education Board,
My name is xxxxxxx, and I currently live in Minnesota, and I’m a student at xxxxx. Growing up and seeing how alcohol has negatively affected our young teenagers and the overall impact now and the future implications to the community, I choose to bring to your attention these concerns and suggest strategies on how to mitigate this situation. I have researched this issue and attained an in-depth understanding of how alcohol is affecting our community. I felt it is appropriate to write and bring to your attention the plight of many teenagers who are not aware that alcohol use destroys their futures. Research has shown middle-aged adults with drinking problems, including alcoholism, started drinking much earlier in life, and delaying the onset of drinking lowers the possibility of alcohol addiction. Though there has been a decline in alcohol use among teenagers, the numbers are still unacceptable, and more should be done to drive the numbers lower.
According to a survey dubbed the Minnesota Student Survey of 2019, which comprised 81 percent of public schools in Minnesota showed declining levels of alcohol use over the past 20 years. Still, it did not capture an accurate picture among different groups of teenagers. Research has shown teenagers who start drinking before they attain 15 years of age are most likely to abuse alcohol or develop alcohol dependence when they grow older. The survey masked the 8th graders’ group whose drinking had remained constant for the past six years (MDH, 2019).
Alcohol consumption has continued to be a significant cause of mortality across the United States as one of the top three causes of preventable deaths, according to American Public Health Association. The consequences of binge drinking and early alcohol consumption among the teenagers in our community are poor performance in education and dysfunctional social relationships, alcohol-related car accidents, alcohol poisoning, and unintentional injuries. Alcohol consumption among teenagers can lead to higher risks for physical and sexual abuse, homicide, and suicide. Due to the wholly undeveloped brains of teenagers, alcohol consumption can negatively impact brain development and cause memory problems, dependency, and other long-term conditions that will affect teenagers in school and their adult lives. Compared to non-drinkers, teenagers who consume alcohol are likely to develop mental issues such as depression, anxiety, and many more (Thomas, 2020).
To address this problem, I ask for support from your office to implement a multi-prong approach where I propose five areas we should tackle. They are; teaching prevention in schools, reaching teenagers outside school, reaching high-risk groups, building family bonds, and empowering communities. Teaching prevention in schools should involve programs that encourage teenagers to resist alcohol consumption by enhancing social and personal skills such as conflict resolution, stress management, social interaction, decision making, communication, and assertiveness. Teenagers usually take alcohol due to peer pressure, and if they are aware of the consequences of its consu...