Consequences of Underage drinking?

BIGeastBEAST
Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:26:35 +0000

Unless you do something so stupid that it screws the rest of your life up (killing someone, or getting caught doing a felony), the consequences are pretty minimal.

I suppose it’s different in each state, but I got one when I was 16 and it was only a Summary Offense (a charge less than a misdemeanor, like a speeding ticket). I’ve gone through the process of government security clearance and it wasn’t an issue at all. I just said, “I got an underage drinking when I was 16”, they said, “Thanks, is that all?”

I use to work in law enforcement, and about 50% of the new cops I new being hired had underage citations. As long as they informed their background investigator, it wasn’t a big deal at all.

It really only becomes a major legal issue or an issue with your school if you get repeated charges, so you could end up having a suspended license and pay some fines.

I remember when I was a teenager we thought an underage was the biggest thing in the world, we go to school and gosssip about, “Did you hear so and so got an underage?” LOL, It’s kinda funny looking back.

Personally, I was more worried about my dad than I was the the police (I at least have rights when with the police).

There are rare occassions when you hear about some young person drinking so much they ended dying, but that is usually some obscene amount - like a small 100 lbs female taking 21 shots of Vodka on her 21st birthday.

Speaking from experience, being on both sides of the issue - if you ever get caught, don’t BS the cop. If you are drunk and he asks if you’ve been drinking, just say yes and how much you’ve had. You don’t have to say you are totally wasted, just tell them that you’ve been drinking beer for a couple of hours at your friends house and you aren’t driving. There’s a good chance they will just let you go and instead arrest the drunk dude who isn’t wearing a shirt and fighting with his girlfriend.

The only immediate consequence is a hangover, which most people don’t seem to start getting until there mid 20’s.

If you don’t want to drink don’t, but if you want to try it, no real harm in that either. Just don’t ever drive, because that can lead to very severe consequences.

When you do it for the first time, do it with people you trust and do it at your house/apartment or somewhere else you feel safe.