Europeans have more control and responsibility with drinking than American youth because alcohol is a part of their daily lives. Since it is illegal to purchase alcohol while under 21 in America, children binge drink, pass out, and many get their stomach pumped in hospitals to drain alcohol from their bodies. Many children drive after they have been drinking and this can cause serious damage to themselves and others. Americans legally become adults when 18; the government allows them to vote, to serve on juries, to get married and to enter the military. Since the government gives 18 year olds those responsibilities, young American adults should legally be allowed to drink alcohol.
The problems created by America’s drinking age go far beyond the irony of a soldier being refused admittance. The significant issues lies within the fact that underage drinking within the US is at an all time high. Alcohol remains the forbidden fruit among underage citizens. The legal drinking age does not eliminate underage drinking. Instead, it encourages it.
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.
Whether the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen or remain at twenty one is a big issue right now to lots of people. The younger crowd will most likely argue that it should be lowered to eighteen, but they have many legit reasons why it should be. The legal drinking age should be lowered because it is already easily accessible to them, the percentage of reckless teen alcohol abusers will be reduced and also because at the age of eighteen you are legally considered an adult. Almost all teens between the ages of 14-17 have tried alcohol before. Majority of the time it is given to them by someone between the ages of 18-21.
You can serve on a jury, be prosecuted as an adult, and legally adopt. They are given all of these rights and responsibilities. Another reason is that there has been statistics that show that other countries, like Europe, have less or equal as many problems with drunk drivers of an age under 21. It is also known in Italy that they start to drink at a young age maybe a glass of wine with dinner. This method helps the children to know how to behave with alcohol and also does not give them the urge to sneak around and act a fool with alcohol.
Smoking and drinking are both addictive and can have negative effects if used improperly, but smoking one cigarette is more harmful than drinking one beer. If they lowered the drinking age to 18, there would be a lot fewer problems related to alcohol. Lowering the drinking age would take away the excitement of teens drinking. People who are under the age and drink see drinking as a rebellious act. Under age teens will drink less than they did before since the thrill of is gone.
Leaving the drinking age at twenty-one will not necessarily stop underage drinking, but will definitely continue to disable many underage drinkers from drinking more. Finally, if teenagers being more prone to being seriously hurt, dropping out and/or going to jail, or even just hurting his/her athletic or academic potential is a good thing, then do not be one for lowering the drinking age to twenty
Many people enjoy the beverage and cannot wait until their 21st birthday to legally consume it. At eighteen you’re allowed to buy tobacco in most states, you can purchase a house, take out a vehicle loan, and be tried as an adult for crimes committed but not treated as an adult and be allowed to have a beer. So what made the government decide that twenty one is the appropriate legal drinking age when you are legally able to vote, join the military and be considered an adult by society at eighteen? Many people believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen to match the legal age of majority in most states, however there is the other side of the argument that fights for the legal age to remain at twenty-one. Reasons the legal drinking age should be lowered are the fact that eighteen is the age of adulthood meaning as an adult you should be allowed to make your own responsible decisions about alcohol usage.
Maturity plays a big part of the reason why the MLDA should stay the same. Anyone under the age of 21 is most likely to be not mature or responsible enough. Being responsible as a teenager can be tough, especially when there is alcohol involved. The article “The minimum drinking age: facts and fallacies” by Traci Toomey, Carolyn Rosefeld, and Alexander Wagenaar states that from 1970 to 1975 the legal drinking age in the United States was lowered to eighteen, nineteen or twenty in 29 states. 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.
Clearly there are many reasons why drinking age should be lowered to 18, the most obvious being that too many people are drinking before they are 21. Liquor stores, bars, and clubs all want to make money, and if they can get away with selling to underage teens, then they will. By now is it obvious that the law has not succeeded in preventing the under-21 group from drinking? There are multiple facts that provide reasons why the