Unlike other countries, the United States is very strict on the drinking age. Instead of the age 18, where we are legally an adult, the drinking age is 21.The drinking age should be lowered to 18 because being 18 is when you are a legal adult and should be able to do everything a legal adult does, including drinking. Binge drinking has become a major problem in youths in the United States. Youths under twenty-one drink profoundly when they can get their hands on alcohol. The ecstasy of breaking the law and being rebellious also influences their drinking and this has
Bronson Guimond Guimond 1 English Composition (HC111) Dana Anderson 20 September 2011 Legal Drinking Age in america There are many reasons why the government has passed laws on the legal drinking age in America. I believe that if a human being of any age thinks they are capable of consuming alcohol, then they should be able to do so. Alcohol is very dangerous if it isn’t used responsibly. I understand that because of many teen deaths due to alcohol that the government changed the drinking age to 21; however this is not going to stop teen drinking. I would discuss this topic with an audience consisting of teens, parents, and government representatives.
Underage Drinking is Harmful Alcohol is a substance that is very dangerous and if used incorrectly or immaturely, the consequences can harm the users and the ones around them extremely. People have been debating the drinking age for years now, whether it should be lowered to 18 or kept at 21. In 1970, 29 states lowered their drinking age, and things were catastrophic; needless to say, they all raised the drinking age by 1976. Alcohol is a drug; in fact, it is the most widely used drug in the world. People abuse alcohol all the time, especially teens.
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.
In 1984 the United States passed a national law that required all states to impose laws restricting the purchase and possession of alcohol in public places to people under the age 21. This law is referred to as “The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984”. Due to all of the accidents caused by drinking among people between the ages of 18 – 20, a provision was attached that required all states to comply or they would face a reduction in the federal funds allotted to them for the maintance of their highways under the Federal Highway Aid Act. Many felt that the provision on the national law was a form of blackmail. As a result it created a huge controversy over the issue and lead to the debate of whether or nor the legal drinking age should be 18 or 21 years old.
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
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.
But the main reason for doing so is “breaking the law.” 87% of high school seniors have used alcohol. That means that a large quantity of teens under the age of 17 to 18 have used alcohol before. We all know the reason why teenager drink, is common since. Just the feel that they get of breaking the law is huge. Being rebel and not following the rules is an important role of a teenager life somehow.
Schoolies is yet another reason to lift the legal drinking age to 21, not only does it put 18 year olds is danger it also puts the community around them in danger. Lifting the legal age is the right thing to do. Today, young people are drinking from a much earlier age and it is affecting one of their most important organs, their brain. Alcohol as a neurotoxin affects young brains in the area known as the amygdala, which controls risk taking, rewards and gratification. It also affects the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for logic, judgment and planning.
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).