Underage drinking has always been a topic of controversy and is still very relevant to my generation and the environment I am surrounded by. The research has developed my opinion on the fact that alcohol will always have effects on humans, and the more one consumes the more negative effects will develop, no matter if you are underage or not. For example, underage drinkers will experience more harmful effects due to the low maturity level and underdevelopment of the human brain. 

In my community, underage drinking is a big activity on my college campus. It is a social norm that everyone seems to advocate for. It serves as an outlet to make new friends at parties or other social events on and off campus. I do not personally drink, but I have been in many situations where alcohol is available or easily accessible for people who are underage and want to experience the "fun" effects that alcohol provides. I can see how it is easy for those who don't have moral values against underage drinking or health issues concerning alcohol intake to get involved in drinking. But, the fact is that drinking while under the age of 21 is illegal and should be monitored better to prevent having such a high participation rate.

The "Preventing and Reducing Underage Drinking" article by Steven K. Galson is informing the audience of how alcohol is affecting people who are under the age of 21. It starts off by introducing how people who are underage may start drinking before the legal age because of peer pressure, family, school, or their community influences. The article continues to explain how underage drinkers raise the statistics of STD's, unplanned pregnancies, and brain damage as the adolescent mind is not complete until the age 21, when the brain reaches full development. Closing, the method of scaffolding in childhood helps create a safe environment. This process is defined by someone demonstrating to another person how to solve a problem, then stepping back and allowing the other person to learn to also do it for themselves. I think this process works, but not for every situation in life. The severity of drinking underage is not a situation to let someone try it and then learn not to do it again. It can be easy to continue drinking once you've done it once. Galson is credible because he was an acting surgeon general. His job is to be educated on health related issues and inform people on how to avoid the negative consequences to your health, like with drinking alcohol while under the legal age. He researches and conducts polls, gathering information about the effects of underage drinking to then advise to the public. This informative article was non-biased to present the cold facts and not harshly pronounce a side. It simply informs the public on the statistics and studies gathered so the reader can make their opinion after being given the pros and cons. Galson's value of trying to inform the audience of underage drinking might risk the audience wanting to partake in underage drinking even more. Many times, people want to do things they are not supposed to do, as this is a well known character trait in teenagers. Often times statistics can only do so much persuasion and it will not effect a person unless it has effected them personally or a loved one.

The "Work Hard, Play Harder" article by The Wilson Quarterly is a review of the book The Drinking Game by Marshall Poe. The Wilson Quarterly best summarizes Poe by saying you cannot avoid alcohol on most college campuses, its just a natural thing. Poe is advocating that college campuses are swarmed with alcohol and that is what promotes the "college experience." Poe thinks that those who decide to harm others with careless drinking, like driving and public intoxication, should be given consequences. But, he goes on to say that if you will be responsible while drinking alcohol, drink up! I think this opinion is outlandish. If you are under the influence of alcohol, you have lost the chance to be fully responsible. You will not know how your body will react to alcohol until you have taken a drink. The author of my article is The Wilson Quarterly who explores cultural topics and issues concerned with the current time period. It is credible because it is merely summarizing the book The Drinking Game and not inserting bias. This argumentative book was biased, persuading the audience that it is socially acceptable to drink as long as you are not confiscating the safety of other people. Although The Wilson Quarterly is unbiased in its review of the book The Drinking Game, it poses a threat to losing its audience by referencing a source with a large amount of bias. Many audience members who are adults, specifically with children in college, who will read this article will be very concerned, worrying about their children's' actions in potential participation of underage drinking.

The "Can We Better Prevent Binge Drinking?" article by N Waszkiewics and A Szulc debated the idea on binge drinking in our youth and if it is preventable. Binge Drinking is a very harmful activity and the article references that new forms of tests such as "salivary, serum and urinary beta-hexosaminidase, and salivary immunoglobulin A" are seen to show prevention in binge drinking (Waszkiewics 589). I think this source is relevant to my topic, but it is hard for me to agree or disagree with its stance on new tests because I am not familiar with the work nor have I experienced the positive effects of the tests. The authors Waszkiewics and Szulc are credible because they work within the Department of Psychiatry at a medical university. There is no bias within the source. It merely allows the audience to ponder the idea of what it would take to lower the rate of binge drinking. Even putting the idea out there that binge drinking is important enough to discuss prevention may reach the audience in a positive way to think about the effects of binge drinking. I believe that it is important to talk about the serious subject of binge drinking and it is important enough to do more research to decrease the percent rate of binge drinking. It is harmful to the person participating for the people they will encounter while intoxicated. The value of preventing binge drinking is at stake because participants are less likely to be accepting and reluctant to change their ways. It might influence those who are interested or on the verge of binge drinking, but for those who already partake in binge drinking might refuse to accept that it is an issue.

The research presented varies from source to source. Each source provides its own opinion on the topic of underage drinking. With the "Work Hard, Play Harder" article, it references a book advocating that it is okay for students who are underage to drink, as long as they are not harming other in the process. The other two source do not agree with this philosophy, as they remain unbiased and present the harmful effects alcohol can have on those who are not of legal age to drink. After reading these articles, my opinion has become even more firm on the stance of enforcing the legal drinking age of 21. I believe teenagers abuse the purpose of alcohol and can drink too much to the point of putting other lives in danger, including their own. These articles differ because they are trying to appeal to different audiences. Although they differ, they share a common ground in the fact that alcohol can present negative effects.

