In today s world, teenagers are faced with many choices and have to make decisions that can and will often affect the rest of their lives. The consequences of alcohol use must become a reality among teenagers. Drinking alcohol can and will impair a wide range of skills necessary to perform daily tasks. Impaired speech, motor skills, reaction time, and walking are all results of the consumption of to many drinks. Nothing comes out good when drinking alcohol. Youth, drinking and driving, and the effects alcohol has on a persons body are the key factors that make the combination potentially harmful.

Most teens do not even know that a person can over dose while drinking. If the liver is unable to process the excess amount of alcohol from the body, death is close at hand. When a person drinks too much they become sick and may eventually throw up. That is the only way the body can protect itself from a fatal disaster. The memory in teens is much more greatly affected than that of an adult who is intoxicated. Brain cells are being destroyed every second that alcohol is being consumed.

Alcohol can lead to cancer of the mouth, esophagus, stomach and colon. The liver is most affected organ because of its constant struggle to protect the body. Destruction of liver cells, accumulation of fat around the liver can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. It is a fatal condition, to the extent that, half of its sufferers die.

Youthful age and alcohol combined had been cited in being the most important reason related to car crashes. A study done in 1997, 27% of the young drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking. On an average weekend, one teen dies every hour due to alcohol related accidents. In 1998, in the state of South Carolina, the percent of alcohol related accidents were 30.3%

As a teenager, we are constantly warned not to drink and drive. The majority of us promise our parents that we want. All too often when we get to a party the drinking begins. Those who are smart will have a designated driver. However, in reality a teen that has been drinking will get behind the steering wheel of a car. As teenagers, we don t think about what could happen. Life is good and the biggest problem we face is what to do after the game on Friday night. But in a brief instant, it could all change. A teen drinking and driving risks losing their life, or an innocent mother, friend or bystander.