Alcohol can put this sort of development to a stop, which puts the young adult at a much higher risk for addiction, depression, violence, and increases the chances of suicide. Having the drinking age set at 21 lowers the overall amount of alcohol consumption. There was a study back in 2002 to prove this. The results showed an 87% decrease in alcohol consumption with a higher legal drinking age. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) did some research in 2009 and found that nighttime drivers’ percentage on the weekend with a BAC of .08 had dropped from 5.4% back in 1986 when there was a lower drinking age, to 2.2 %.
Pros and Cons of Lowering the Drinking Age Anonymous Central High School Abstract Alcohol is a huge part of American culture. When depressed, stressed, or under the influence of any other psychological illnesses, young adults tend to turn to alcohol. Alcohol consumption is one of the biggest causes of death in America. Twenty-one is the age of consent when dealing with alcohol. Lately, this topic has become a big deal.
The article goes on to say that several studies show that the lowered MLDA in the 29 states had an immediate impact on motor vehicles crashes increased among teens. This shows that the decrease in the MLDA affected the teenagers in a negative way by allowing them to drink at a younger less mature age. Another concern with lowering the drinking age is negative on teen’s health. Under the age of 21 your brain is still developing. During this development alcohol negatively affects all parts of the brain, including coordination, motional control, thinking, decision making, hand-eye movement, speech, and memory (Pg.2 Par.6).
Between 1970 and 1975, “there was an increase in teenage car accidents because 29 states in the United States had a MLDA lower than 21” ("Drinking Age ProCon.org”). “These changes occurred when the minimum age for other activities, such as voting, also were being lowered” ("Minimum Legal Drinking Age"). Scientists began doing “several studies in the 1970’s that showed the effects of lowering the MLDA” ("Minimum Legal Drinking Age"). The studies “found that motor vehicle crashes increased significantly among teens when the MLDA was
I believe that this reason and many other reasons should steer us as a country to consider finally lowering the legal age of consumption of alcohol. As I was saying above, college students that want to drink alcohol are going to do so no matter if they are of legal age or not. To be quite frank I can’t think of very few people I know that do not drink. This is true even though underage students run the risk of being
There has been an ongoing controversy in the United States on whether the drinking age should be lowered to 18 like most of the world or if it should stay at 21 for years. There are many logical reasons why the drinking age in the United States should be lowered to 18 years old. A few reasons are, there is a possibility it could reduce the number of drunk drivers, at 18 you’re considered a legal adult, and young adults are proven to drink regardless of the law. It is a proven pact young adults will drink regardless of the law. It is much safer for the United States to lower the drinking age so young adults don’t have to be discrete about drinking, and can drink in supervised areas such as restaurants, and local bars.
Any state can lower the age of legal drinking within their boundaries if they choose too. However, if any state chooses to lower the age, they will be cut off from highway funds from the government. So the debate has begun in many states whether lowering the drinking age would benefit our country or take it downhill. Many colleges are supporting the idea of change for reasons including reduced binge drinking among college students and eighteen year olds should be able to have a beer if they can fight and die for their country. Many people oppose the idea arguing eighteen to twenty year olds will only drink more if they are legally allowed to.
There are many reasons and facts that are in favor of lowering the drinking age. Fifty-eight percent of Americans believe the legal age should be lowered. As a great professor once said “today we are repeating history and making the same mistakes. Prohibition did not work then and prohibition for the young people under the age of 21 is not working now.” (web; Indiana.edu). In other words restricting the American people from alcoholic beverages in the past was unsuccessful and a way was found to break that law.
Heavy drinking during adolescence years, when the brain is still developing causes lasting impairment functions such as memory, coordination, and motor skills. Drinking interferes with good judgments leading adolescents’ intolerable behavior and making the vulnerable to sexual coercion. Adolescence girls who consume alcohol for the same reasons adolescents boys do are faced with challenges boys do not have to experience: for example drinking can delay puberty in girls while abusing alcohol can cause endocrine disorders during puberty. Teenage girls who drinks are more likely to have unprotected sex putting them at an increase risk of pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases. Statistics have shown each approximately 5,500 young people at the age of twenty-one died of the result of underage drinking; this includes about 2,000 deaths in automobile crashes, 3,000 as a result of homicides and 500 from suicides.
The first point people have against lowering the drinking age make is that most 18-year olds are mature enough. They believe that young adults do not know when to stop and that they will just drink until they have alcohol poisoning. The second point opposes make is that lowering the drinking age will create alcoholics. They believe that even at 18-years old people are susceptible to gaining a dependence on something like alcohol. If the drinking age is 21 then by that time they will have a strong mind to not be dependent.