RJA #9b: Argument

Research question: are there serious physical and psychological implications of underage drinking?

Complete thesis statement: It should be agreed that underage drinking causes both physical and psychological damage. Once this consensus is reached, it will enable strategies to be developed to deal with the problem.

Reason: Research shows that the brain continue to develop into a person’s early twenties and that introducing alcohol to the developing brain may have long-lasting effects on intellectual capabilities, interrupt key processes of brain development and can cause learning problems.

Counterargument: In many societies many people start to drink in the home from a very early age. These societies include Italians, Jews, Greeks, Portuguese, French, Germans and Spaniards. There is no evidence showing that members of these groups are brain impaired compared to those societies that do not permit young people to consume alcohol.

Reason: Drinking at an early age (early onset of drinking) has been associated with later alcoholism and other drinking problems in several western countries.

Counterargument: There is growing evidence that early drinking, in societies not permitting it, is not the cause, but only a symptom of an underlying predisposition to alcoholism and other behavioral problems.

Reason: Alcohol can temporarily relieve negative thoughts and stress by altering the chemistry of your brain. That’s why some use drinking as a prop to help ‘cope’ with life or stress. This kind of ‘self-medicating’ with alcohol can be counter-productive. Increased alcohol use changes the psychology of the brain and reduces its ability to deal with anxiety naturally. Like with depression, excess alcohol use can decrease levels of serotonin which is a chemical in your brain that helps to regulate your mood. That means feeling more depressed, and probably drinking more to deal with it.

Counterargument: According to an article in Time magazine, those who never drink are at significantly higher risk for not only depression but also anxiety disorders, compared with those who consume alcohol regularly.

Reason: Elevated liver enzymes, indicating some degree of liver damage, have been found in some adolescents who drink alcohol.