The main reason I haven’t drank alcohol before age 21 has been religion. Me being a Muslim has forbidden for me to drink alcohol in any form at any age. Having attended Sunday school throughout my life it was understood that I was not to drink. This is not to say that Muslims do not drink because some do; however, my mother being influential in my life as she is, always tried to make sure I was a good Muslim. Not drinking came under the category of being a good Muslim. The reasons for not drinking in Islam are not much different for why Americans are not to drink before 21—we believe it is an intoxicant that can easily be abused or dangerous. I feel blessed for not being susceptible to alcohol related issues present at not only my school but also others.
One of the main problems I believe underage drinking brings is the spillover effect it has. If one student starts drinking his younger brother might start. An adolescent who starts drinking can influence his friends and subsequently two friends might start drinking together. This small group of two can become much greater with peer pressure and other external forces. Therefore, the one person that starts drinking can lead to many others. I have seen this at work first hand in a couple instances and every time it is regrettable. This underage drinking problem is further compounded by the glory that some youth may feel in drinking. A feeling that may perpetuate alcohol abuse. Alcohol can also mark the beginning to other drugs where the end result is worse than the beginning. If a youth is exposed to alcohol in a certain environment there may be other illegal substances available not far away.
Aside from religion, a program at school furthered bringing my motivation to not drink. All freshmen at my school are required to take a mandatory class that deals with issues such as underage drinking, substance abuse, and other common teen issues. The class spent a good portion dealing with the negative effects alcohol has in certain quantities and especially at a young age. The course delved in to the negative effects it had on the body. This became a backup for me. If at any time I were to stray away from my religion, my initial reason for not drinking, I would have another reason to fall back on—science. I am now in the position where I do not want to drink because of faith and science and together I am doubly assured that I wont be drinking underage.
Though I have had different reasons for not drinking throughout stages of my life the bottom line is that I don’t plan on underage drinking. Whether it be faith or science I think it is important for adolescents to come up with concrete warrant for as why not to drink and to maintain those. It is very easy to want to be fascinated with drinking, but it is my personal belief that in the end it will be better in the long term to have not.
--Basil, Gilbert