Issue of underage drinking taken far too lightly

                 By Caitlin Friel
                       Central Bucks East High School

                 Recently, I had the pleasure of viewing an hour-long seminar about the risks of underage drinking on the TV screen in my homeroom.
                 The refreshingly humorous Jim Matthews gave this presentation, entitled "Beer, Booze and Books."
                 His sense of humor definitely earned some laughs from the school, and it is my hope he got his message across, as well.
                 To my continuing dismay, it seems the brick wall that is the teenager is nearly impossible to penetrate.  Most teens live in a world where nothing can ever go wrong and bad things only happen to other people.
                 Stories about fatal car crashes or death by alchol poisoning are mere fables in the ears of a teenager.  The reality is these stories are not fiction, but most teens won't believe it until it happens to them.
                 The story of Steubenville is still fresh in many of our minds, so I'll call on it for an example.  A long night of drinking and partying ends in what is legally considered rape, and ultimately the conviction of two young men with otherwise promising futures.
                 No matter how you slice it, the fact of the matter is that none of the above would have happened if there wasn't any drinking involved.  It all boils down to the decision to drink ----- and not only to drink, but to get absolutely wasted.
                Peresonally, I think people take the concept of underage drinking far too lightly.  It's a depressing thought, but perhaps it has simply become so common these days that people just accept it.
                However, on behalf of the United States of America, I would like to remind everyone the consumption of alcohol under the age of 21 is illegal ---- and with good reason.
                Maybe it's just me, but I've always been under the impression there are consequences for going against the law.  One could argue teens are eventually punished for their illegal drinking habits through some otherworldly force that causes them to become alcoholics later in life or get in car crashes, but (thankfully) that doesn't happen to everyone.
                Maybe those tragedies wouldn't occur so frequently if there were actual implementable punishments for these actions.
                However, teenagers could make the job of law enforcement a whole lot easier if theysimply wouldn't drink.  Ther is no neccessity to the act, and if you argue it makes for a good time, I feel sorry for you.  If you need alcohol to have fun, you really should reevaluate your life.
                Many teens are simply too impatient or live by this psychotic "YOLO" mentality that they have to do everything they could ever want to do in life right this moment or they may never be able to do it.
                What they don't seem to understand is if you live your life safely and healthily, you will likely live to see.
                But guess what?  The excitement of being able to go out and have a drinl with your friends on your 21st birthday will definitely not feel as special if you've been doing it since you were 15.
                Besides, before long, we'll all be adults and have to worry ;about mature things like taxes and which kind of dish detergent to purchase and which store has it for the best price.
                Can't we just enjoy these last few years of freedom and (relative) simplicity without alcohol?