Alcohol: Emotionally Life Altering Drinking alcohol before the age of eighteen is not healthy. I am not speaking of the physical damage that it may cause, but rather the emotional turmoil that may occur. Consequences are always inevitable and may change a person’s life forever. To drink underage because it is seen as “cool” is not reason enough to risk changing one’s life. First, drinking before the age of eighteen brings emotional consequences involving parents, teachers, and other adults, along with the possibilities of getting in trouble with the law. Once the choice to drink while underage is made, it opens life up to more difficult decisions later on. For example, one Saturday night in the middle of winter, we planned a party on Buck Hill. We called such events “kegger parties” while I was in high school: a social interaction for those who wanted to drink and could go where the beer was available. We partied until the keg was gone, and all the rest of the alcohol that was around was cashed. I could not drive home; I could barely climb the hill to the car, much less drive. I got home safely anyway, and before curfew. I was freezing, though, and I thought, “What better way is there to warm up but with a hot bath?” I made it past Mom and Dad, stumbled up the stairs, and started my bath. The next thing I knew, my mom was shaking me awake. I discovered I had passed out in the bathtub—so much for making it past Mom and Dad. I got in a lot of trouble. I definitely learned from the experience.