Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and has a huge impact on a drinker's life. In small amounts, alcohol causes mild euphoria, generally removes inhibitions, and is relatively harmless. However, when used in excess, it has the power to change many lives in many ways. Alcohol causes a lot of problems in many people's lives, not just in the lives of drinkers. . This affects people's lives in particular, including alcohol poisoning and alcohol-related traffic deaths among people who are problem drinkers but are not dependent on alcohol. Because alcohol has many negative effects on a person's mental and physical health, people should avoid drinking it altogether. Teenage drinking has become a big problem worldwide. Studies have shown that between seventy to eighty percent of every adolescent has engaged in alcohol consumption. beverage. (ClayPool 2) That's about half of the students in a public school. 1.9 million adolescents between the ages of twelve and twenty are considered heavy drinkers. (Well connected 21) But only twelve out of fifteen people actually have a problem with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. (Goodwin 63) Many teenagers die every day in car accidents between the ages of sixteen and nineteen. In the United States, approximately 2,700 teenagers were killed and nearly 321,000 were treated for injuries suffered in car crashes but were later released to return home. The cost of repairing damage caused by an alcohol-related accident is estimated between one thousand five hundred and one hundred and forty-eight billion dollars. ("Teenager" 64) But alcohol-related accidents also cost American taxpayers a hundred billion dollars, and not just the driver. ("Drink") Days of the week with the highest mortality rate... middle of paper ...... if one drinks a glass of wine before going to bed, it helps them get better sleep. Sometimes, doctors even prescribe the use of alcohol as a sedative to elderly people around the world. (ClayPool 30) Many teenagers think it's cool to drink so they can fit in, some are even forced to drink and some even drive after drinking which causes more deaths and problems within a family . Teenagers often don't understand the effects of alcohol on the body, and many people are unaware of the beneficial effects occasional drinking has on the body. I sincerely believe that these problems will persist as long as our society continues to view alcohol consumption as a solution to its problems with few side effects or as an independent activity and without being categorized as a drug. We must have an impact to change the attitudes and behaviors of not only adolescents, but of society as a whole..