The Right Age for Drinking or Smoking Onset - Essay Sample

Introduction

According to studies by Chang, as early as the age of 15, most of the male youth had smoked at least once out of curiosity. The same for the drinking part has been observed, where some youths even drink regularly still at teenage (866). This issue has been addressed by many countries and often without yield. The issue of drinking and smoking therefore becomes a controversial issue that can be called an international disaster, where the government and the guardians have lost control over it. This topic, therefore raises the question of, "when is the right age to start drinking or smoking?" "Should it be as early as 18 or as late as 40?"

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A study was done amongst the Filipino youths, according to Cruz, showed that youths are more vulnerable to alcoholism and smoking more than the guardians and the government may think. It showed that most of the youths, especially the male gender, usually takes alcohol and cigarettes for the first time between the age of 15 and nineteen, with the assumption that the survey participants adequately represented the rest of the population. The tables below show the distribution of ages in the young population concerning alcohol consumption.

Figure 1: Analysis of alcohol consumption in youthful ages (Cruz, 15).

Figure 2: Analysis of smoking in youthful ages (Cruz, 15).

According to the above analysis, youths were recorded to be smoking regularly than they are drinking. Jankowski argues that smoking, especially the cigarettes availed today, e-cigarettes, is highly addictive. It is therefore likely that the youths will have to live with the smoking habits for the rest of their lives. Considering the associated risks of life-long smoking, the decision on when to start smoking feels like a burden to some youths who will regret shouldering it for the rest of their lives. For the women, it would interpret that they cannot quit smoking even during pregnancy without deep battles to fight with their bodies. Effects on the fetus and the depression of the mother on the big consequences of smoking may leave many souls damaged and make others live with permanent marks of bad smoking habits.

According to Harrison et al., the youths who got involved in early-drinking and smoking habits have been involved in fights and disorderly behavior as a result of the abuse, at least once during their teenage (572). Most countries, including America, allow smoking for persons not below the age of eighteen (Iparraguirre, p.7). This could mean that at least everyone has two years of teenage allowed to smoke and drink, legally. Teenage goes hand in hand with a lot of peer pressure and competitions that are likely to lead to poor decision making. Therefore, every single person, born in these countries, have at least two years to risk falling into the temptation of smoking, drinking alcohol, and substance abuse. This could also interpret as reasons why there are a lot of smokers and alcoholics in the countries that allow late-teenage drinking and smoking.

Early drinking and smoking have been associated with a range of negative consequences. According to Hughes, cigarettes have more than four thousand chemical compounds, not to mention that at least four hundred are toxic chemical compounds. These chemical compounds include tar, nicotine, among others, which are well known to cause great harm to the human body. Too much smoking is also known to cause cancer, heart attack, and other horrific consequences. In women, smoking can cause a reduction in their bone density, as well as heightening the risks of infertility (244). Early smoking for a life-long means living with these chemicals in the bodies for longer periods.

Alcohol consumption according to Hughes has many negative consequences also. As a result, there is are several groups of people that are not allowed to take alcohol. These groups include minors, pregnant women, people suffering from specific diseases, and people living with various health conditions. Reasons for the requirement to keep off alcohol is because alcohol consumption, especially binge drinking, does more harm than good. They may include, impaired judgment, blurred vision, alcohol poisoning, and nausea that leads to vomiting for the short-term effects. Long-term effects of binge drinking are worse as they may include, liver cirrhosis, high blood pressure, and even liver cancer, among others (244).

According to Gadd et al., alcohol and substance abuse have made it difficult to manage households. These activities are the most likely reasons for domestic feuds, and also lead to homicides in the worst-case scenarios. According to Schumm, young couples involved in drinking and substance abuse are more likely to have hardships that even lead to breakups in their relationships. Partly, it is because of the young brains that have not matured completely influenced by substance abuse.

These negative effects of smoking and alcohol consumption may logically conclude that 18 years old youths are not fit to decide on their own whether or not to start drinking. The world may not control fully the ways of the youths but at least can set laws for the sake of saving some of them. According to Choi et al., peer pressure which is highly active among 18-year old youths may not be resistible enough for some youths willing to resist, where the law gives room for that (2181). It is, therefore, necessary to consider determining when the right age for smoking and consuming alcohol is.

According to Brady et al., the age immediately after minor age is the age that most of the life decisions are made. It is at this stage also that most of the youths taste the hardest parts of their lives and sometimes feel abandoned. By this time, they are usually on the verge of tarmacking for employment and completing basic education life (104). Many responsibilities of the youths start to hit at this age, where they are free to take alcohol and smoke, whereas they are expected to make life-long decisions. Therefore, in my opinion, this could also be the worst age for deciding whether smoking or drinking is right. At this age, the government and the guardians should watch out more keenly than they did in the past, but only with love and care. Lack of parental touch becomes a huge vulnerability for the youths to make bad decisions about alcohol and smoking at this stage.

In my opinion, smoking and drinking are overrated. It is a fact that sometimes are necessary, but also they are never in the list of basic needs. Brezina argues that life begins at forty. This is because the freedom of choice at this age has the least consequences. By this age, the brain is mature, and the biggest life decisions have already been made and probably accomplished the desired goals (17). By this time, most families are stable or broken, and therefore it is easy to judge the consequences of the paths someone may want to take differently. Forty would therefore become a perfect age for making this decision. However, there are always critics against any decision made.

Critics

One of the greatest blows if everyone waited until 40 to make such decisions would be the impact on economies. According to Whitler, even governments acknowledge liquor production as one of the greatest forms of revenue. (81). According to the analysis of figures 1 and 2, it is evident that youths, considering they are a major population, contribute a lot towards liquor consumption. Avoiding these populations in the market would mean that a major segment of the population has left, and therefore a major part of the economy receives a blow. A good example of liquor impact on economies is the 9.99 billion US dollars of revenues collected in the US in the year 2019 (Taxpolicycenter).

Both drinking and smoking are associated with some benefits. According to Everitt, smoking could help lower the risks of needing knee replacement surgery. It is said that probably the nicotine or the tobacco in cigars helps prevent joint deteriorations and cartilage that may require surgery to bring them back to normality (97). Also, smoking is an appetite depressant. Therefore, smoking could lead to reduced rates of obesity. Everitt argues that smoking leads to snacking less due to, making food feel less tasty, acting on a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, responsible for giving appetite, and even making smokers feel more content. Finally, smoking reduces the chances of succumbing after heart attacks. The reason behind this advantage is the fact that smoke scars the arteries that allow fats to build up, making them less likely to have a heart attack in the first place.

Moderate consumption of alcohol has benefits also. According to Dwyer, moderate alcohol consumption could help reduce the risk of developing and succumbing to a heart-related disease by building up the body's immunity. Some alcoholic drinks, such as red wine, are associated with improving someone's memory. The memory is however most significant during education life, where a lot of things have to remain in the memory for the sake of performance. Beer also is said to strengthen bones due to the high silicon content in it (Dwyer).

Part of living a youthful life is having fun when you still can. According to Krauss, getting drunk and smoking is fun according to most of the youths. The youths in most cases do not have a lot of money to spend and so it makes them have a lot of priorities to accomplish before considering drinking and smoking. Therefore, smoking and drinking for them are mostly limited by the money they are willing to spend, and so it remains just for fun (200). On the contrary, the older population considers drinking and smoking as a form of making up with old friends, as well as giving them a moment off their busy lives and exhausted minds (200). According to this logic, it is likely that the youths could drink more responsibly by a bigger percentage as compared to the middle-aged, especially those with a lot of difficulties in life.

Conclusion

As much as it is wrong to have 18-year old drunkards amongst us, it is also important to acknowledge the rights and freedom associated with the acts. There are indeed a lot of decisions to be made at this stage and the rest of their lives depend on these decisions. It is also important to acknowledge the power of resistance created when people are denied to do what they feel is their right. Therefore, the conclusion of leaving the freedom to drinking and smoking to the age of 18 is appropriate. However, strict guidance and a lot of limitations should be set. At this age, it should only be for the satisfaction of having tasted and not becoming notorious consumers. The government, parents, and even health advisors should take a great deal in seeing to it that youths are saved from excessive alcohol and smoking to the best of their ability. The youths also should have limits on the pressure they put themselves into, and acknowledge the consequences of their actions. They should also learn to focus on the better parts of life other than drinking and smoking recklessly.

Work Cited

Brady, Eavan, and Robbie Gilligan. "Exploring diversity in the educational pathways of care-experienced adults: Findings from a life-course study of education and care." Children and Youth Services Review 104 (2019): 104379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.06.014

Brezina, Timothy. "Freedom of action, freedom of choice, and desistance from crime: pitfalls and opportunities in the study of human agency." Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology (2019): 1-21. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40865-019-00111-w

Chang, ChunPin, et al. "Tobacco smoking, chewing habits, alcohol drinking and the risk of head and neck cancer in Nepal." International Journal of Cancer 147.3 (2020): 866-875. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.32823Choi...