Should The Legal Drinking Age Be Lowered Essay

Why the drinking age should be lowered? Alcohol has been part of our culture for thousands of years, it is also a harmful substance. Due to this, almost all the countries around the world have placed an age restriction on it. In Australia the age required is 18, some countries allow drinking at the age of 16 for beer, not for spirits. The purpose of a minimum drinking age is to act as a deterrent from drinking alcohol, as young people face legal punishment if they break the law by drinking underage. However, underage drinking remains a problem. The law is often difficult to enforce if people drink in their own homes, rather than in a public place. Though establishments such as bars or supermarkets often have the policy to ask for identification when selling alcohol in the Australia, levels of sales to teens are still not considered to be low enough. I think drink age should be lowered. Due to how high the drinking age is teens have started to turn away from drinking and have become interested in other dangerous substances and drugs. A study found in the US states that after the drinking age was increased from 19 to 21, 22% of students reported that "they are going to take drugs." Teens are always trying to show off to their friends how cool they are by taking these substances and drugs which will just lead them to an unhappy live in prison and or a rehab...show more content... Australia lets teens under the age of 18 have the right to do other things. A few examples of this would be getting your piercings with permission at 10–16 of age, allowed to drive on your Ls while supervised and finally be employed at 13 or 14. If teens are mature enough to do these things why are they not allowed to drink at a lower age? Teens have not broken the laws for driving, pricing or employment because they know it is one step to becoming a mature adult. But they–they break the law for drinking because they know they are mature

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Alcohol! Should the legal drinking age be lowered? The answer to the question is yes it should and here is why.The drinking age limit should be lowered because in the eyes of the law a person is seen as an adult at the age of eighteen, in other countries the lower drinking age works, and in college the drinking among students increased after the limit was raised to twenty one. When a person reaches the age of eighteen they are seen as a legal adult: "adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption"(Drinking Age). Legal adulthood comes with all different types of rights and responsibilities with drinking not included. Eighteen year olds are given the right to vote, to smoke, to have consensual sex, and to get married without parental consent. this give citizens the ability to make decisions for the future of the country, the ability to do something that could cause future health problems, the ability to do something that could result in a baby which is additional responsibility, and the ability to separate from a family to start a new one. The responsibilities of being a legal adult are having total responsibility for one's actions and being trusted to not break the law because of being able to be charged as an adult now. An eighteen year old is also possibly in charge of someone's life depending on the type of case they could serve as a jury member on if selected. An eighteen year old boy is required to sign up for a system that if selected he would have to possibly die fighting for the country(What You Can). If eighteen year olds are old enough to fight for their country and old enough to make decisions that affect the health of themselves and the life of another person then why are they not trusted to make their own decisions regarding alcohol?

In other countries a lower drinking age works because of the way alcohol is viewed and used also by how it is introduced. In most countries the drinking age is lower or nonexistent and yet most of them have less problems with drinking problems among teenagers and adults as well as lower alcoholism rates than the U.S. which has a higher drinking age. Now while in some of the countries like the United kingdom the lower drinking age

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The Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered

In the United States of America, the National Government requires the states to enforce a legal drinking age of twenty–one. Where as the world average drinking age is eighteen, and in some Countries it is even lower where it is possible to get a beer at sixteen years of age. Taking that into consideration, there is a great deal of controversy in the United States on what the legal age should be to purchase and consume an alcoholic beverage. The largest issue being that you are considered to be an adult at eighteen and can buy cigarettes and other tobacco products, but are unable to purchase alcohol. With that there are many other reasons why the legal age to drink should be lowered. Many teens from seventeen years of age to twenty do not obey the twenty–one year minimum legal drinking age. Most teenagers either have friends that are legal to buy alcohol or even family members such as an older sibling and even their parents that will purchase alcohol for them to drink. In 2006 a survey was done by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse that showed 72.2 percent of seniors in highschool have consumed alcohol at least once in their lifetime (Charlie Covey). In addition, underage drinking accounts for 17.5 percent of consumer spending on alcohol, which may not seem like a considerable amount, but in reality it adds up to 22.5 billion dollars (Joseph Califano Jr.). This comes largely due to the fact that in twenty–nine states underage drinking is allowed if done on

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In the 1970's, the topic of the legal drinking age grew very popular; most states decided to lower it from 21 to 18 because that was the age to vote and enlist in the army. However, during the 90's the age was raised back to 21 (Drinking). This was because teens were the most common drunk drivers. "When the drinking age was raised", there were positive effects, "the number of fatal crashes involving a young driver dropped significantly, from 61% in 1982 to 31% in 1995" (Christensen). But the argument is still here, if one can go to war, why should he or she not be able to take the edge off and indulge in alcoholic beverages? There are compelling arguments for each side, but the drinking age should not be lowered. Some people believe that...show more content...

Dr. John Allen says, "that consuming the substance [alcohol] impacts your hippocampus, an area of the brain that handles your memory and learning" (Turner). Allen did a study on the hippocampus of adolescents who drank regularly and on the hippocampus of adolescents who did not drink; the hippocampus of non–drinkers were around ten percent larger than the drinkers. The study showed that drinking affects the memory and learning capabilities of adolescents (Turner). Then when one turns 18 he or she can vote, go to war, and move out. Even though all of these are considered to be adult decisions, it doesn't mean one is fully mature. According to Sarah Aamodt, a neuroscientist, "the changes that happen between 18 and 25 are a continuation of the process that starts around puberty, and 18 year olds are about halfway through that process. Their prefrontal cortex is not yet fully developed". The prefrontal cortex is crucial because it is, "the part of the brain that helps you to inhibit impulses and to plan and organize your behavior to reach a goal" (Aamodt). So even though one is legally considered an adult at 18 he or she has not reached their full capacity for maturity, and will not until they are 25. This means that it is more likely for a young person to make risky decisions and be less responsible. When juveniles start consuming alcoholic beverages they welcome a detrimental Get

"This law has been an abysmal failure. It hasn't reduced or eliminated drinking. It has simply driven it underground, behind closed doors, into the most risky and least manageable of settings,"(Debate) said John McCardell of "Choose Responsibility". Choose Responsibility is a non–profit organization that is for lowering the drinking age to 18. Young adults can vote, fight and die for their country overseas, and purchase tobacco at age 18, but why cannot they have a beer? Drinking among the youth in the United States has escalated to dangerous levels such as binge drinking, reckless parties, and even death. The average age when kids take their first sip of alcohol is a staggering 14 years of age (Debate). The legal drinking age of...show more content...

The adults in this country should step up their game, and put a stop to these actions. This brings in the next option. Which is for parents to step in, take command, and teach their kids the responsibilities of being a young adult. The legal age of 21 pushes kids under the age behind closed doors, putting them in the out most danger of alcohol and the effects of it on the bodies of the youth. Behind these closed doors, teens are least supervised around a big group of friends with tons of alcohol, and the peer pressure of having one more drink, then that turns into two more drinks, then that into three, and so on a so forth. This act of binge drinking could skyrocket the risks of getting into a car with friends and driving under the influence. DUI's can cause death, which leads to lawsuits, which then leads to less money, then leads to more problems at home and blood on the parents' hands. Adults of this country are reconized at the age of eighteen. On a child's eighteenth birthday, the adult may want to go enlist in the army, buy a carton of cigarettes, or even vote for the next president of the USA. But they cannot purchase alcohol. What is worse; fighting overseas with machine guns with blood everywhere, or a beer? If the United States of America's government says that a child at 18 is a legal adult and move out on his/her own and start a family or do anything listed above, but they cannot purchase or legally consume alcohol. The Get more content

Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered?

Should the legal drinking age be lowered to age 18? Recently people have been debating whether If the drinking age should be lowered to 18. Some people think 18 is a better age but others think it's outrageous to lower the drinking age to 18. After much reading and observing, I myself think the drinking age should be kept at 21 years old,because young adults who drink while they 're underage make poor decisions and majority of the young adults are in college lacking in classes. The legal drinking age should not be lowered to 18, but stay at 21 because It leads to irresponsible behavior and decisions. Young adults who drink tend not to care about their actions. Robert Voas who has worked for the National Highway Administration Office, claims that it would not be a good idea to lower the drinking age to 18. According to Voas, (Believe me when I say that lowering the drinking age would be very dangerous; it would benefit no one except those who profit from alcohol sales.) Young adults who are not 21 years of age tend to make irresponsible decisions like getting behind the wheel drunk. Being a young adult and driving under the influence of alcohol can lead one to a major accident or even death. Lowering the requirement of drinking may benefit underage adults but the death rate of drunk driving will increase rapidly. Robert Voas has studied drunk driving for 40 years and he has seen numerous accidents and deaths of immature young adults drinking under the influence.

Lowering the drinking age to 18 would make a lot of sense in the world. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would make more sense. It would be better for the teens that drink on college campus. The drinking age should be lowered to 18 because you can vote at eighteen, buy tobacco, it'll reduce the thrill of breaking the law, evidence supports that early introduction of drinking is the safest way to reduce juvenile alcohol abuse, and college people that are not 21 drink also. If teenagers that are now turning 18 can vote, then they should be able to drink at the age of 18. If teens are 18 and old enough to vote, they should be able to drink. Saying they can vote, is calling them responsible and mature enough to pretty much vote. At age 18,...show more content...

Tobacco, can give the person doing it buzzed or drunk and give them the risk of a disease. Therefore, in the long run, the person will probably regret doing tobacco. It'll reduce the thrill of breaking the laws. Teens find it exciting to break the law. Once they start breaking the law, it'll get them addicted to the thrill of breaking the law. They're going to want to keep breaking the law just to be cool. ("Reasons"). When they break the law, they think that since other people won't do it, that it's going to be cool to break the law and look bad. Most parents should know that almost all kids drink. If they know that their kids drink, why not let them have legally drink at 18, with not having their kids get in jail for drinking under age. ("Age"). For example, why would you go through the trouble if your child drinks and gets caught because they're not 21 yet, but are in college and over 18 and you have to bail them out? Therefore most college kids aren't even 21 yet, but are still exposed to alcohol and drink. Early introduction into drinking will reduce binge drinking. If people are introduced into drinking early, they'll be drinking moderately. Scientific evidence supports that early introduction to drinking is the safest way to reduce juvenile alcohol abuse. Young people in France, Spain, and Argentina, rarely abuse alcohol. They start drinking within their families, which sees drinking in moderation as natural. They rarely

Some people are requesting for the drinking age to be lowered to 18. The drinking age had always been 21 until the late 60s and early 70s. The reason for this is that the military enlisting and voting age had been lowered. Right away the effects of this were shown and they weren't positive. Since only 29 states had adapted to the new law many teens would drive across the border to get drunk then they would come back and crash. 16 of those states increased to drink age back to 21 and those who didn't eventually did because a law was made that the official age for drinking would be 21 and all the 50 states had to have it. If the drinking age is lowered to 18 then that could cause more car accidents, violent behavior and health problems.

While people want to lower the drinking age, they are right not doing so because this could cause more car accidents. In an article titled Study:

Lowering The Drinking Age Increases Car Crashes Among Youth by Join Together Staff, the author states "Several studies in the United States have shown significant reductions in alcohol–related traffic crashes since the Uniform Drinking...show more content...

In the article titled Top 3 Reasons Why the Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered to 18 by Matt Nagin, the author states, "The NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse andAlcoholism), found that "up to 86 percent of homicide offenders, 37 percent of assault offenders, [and] 60 percent of sexual offenders" were using alcohol at the time of the crime".Basically, the NIAAA are saying that a high percent of violent offenders were using alcohol at the moment. Of course, many will disagree with this assertion that lowering the drinking age will have an increase in violent behavior/assaults. Nevertheless, studies show the percentages on violent behavior now, so it can be assumed that it will increase if the drinking age is

Let The Drinking Age Be Lowered Should the drinking age be lowered? This question has been stumbled upon for more than 50 years by the United States government. Fighting to keep the age 21 has made alcohol seem like a "forbidden fruit" taboo, in our nation. This law is not helping minors stay away from drinking at all, but making underage consumption worse. The drinking age is inferior and should be lowered because citizens of the U.S. are considered an adult at 18, minors are drinking, and there is exceptions in the law for alcohol. In society, teens of our nation are already considered an adult at 18, so why must young adults wait to be 21 in order to drink? In the U.S., society can already do so much when becoming of legal age. In 2014, according to Camille Paglia, PhD, Professor of Humanities and Media Studies at the University of the Arts states: The National Minimum Drinking Age Act, passed by Congress 30 years ago this July, is a gross violation of civil liberties and must be repealed. It is absurd and...show more content... In the U.S., teens can do a lot once they turn 18. Citizens at the legal age can choose the potential leader of our country, serve our nation, live in their own place, and start killing themselves with cigarettes. Lowering the law for alcohol consumption will help more minors at the legal age and college campuses stay out of trouble. Half of the students drinking and providing alcohol at school are under 21. Changing the law to 18+ will also help alcohol related deaths by teaching teens to drink responsibly. Exceptions are only just making the law for drinking more complicated and causing more alcohol related deaths. Not everyone knows about these drinking laws either because people travel from state to state. Not knowing all the deviations to the law is putting more lives in danger than it is

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Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered?

Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered? Should the legal drinking age be lowered to age 18? Recently people have been debating whether If the drinking age should be lowered to 18. Some people think 18 is a better age but others think it's outrageous to lower the drinking age to 18. After much reading and observing, I myself think the drinking age should be kept at 21 years old,because young adults who drink while they 're underage make poor decisions and majority of the young adults are in college lacking in classes. The legal drinking age should not be lowered to 18, but stay at 21 because It leads to irresponsible behavior and decisions. Young adults who drink tend not to care about their actions. Robert Voas who has worked for the National Highway Administration Office, claims that it would not be a good idea to lower the drinking age to 18. According to Voas, (Believe me when I say that lowering the drinking age would be very dangerous; it would benefit no one except those who profit from alcohol sales.) Young adults who are not 21 years of age tend to make irresponsible decisions like getting behind the wheel drunk. Being a young adult and driving under the influence of alcohol can lead one to a major accident or even death. Lowering the requirement of drinking may benefit underage adults but the death rate of drunk driving will increase rapidly. Robert Voas has studied drunk driving for 40 years and he has seen numerous accidents and deaths of immature young adults Get more content

A very controversial argument amongst Americans is determining that the current legal drinking age which is 21 should be lowered to eighteen or not. Researching the following propaganda made me understand the dangers to the youth and people in America if the drinking age were to lower. Therefore i will argue with whoever disagrees with me that the drinking age should be lowered. I'd like to explain six reasons to why the drinking age should not be lowered beginning with the strongest reasons. First reason being is that alcohol effects the brain badly in many ways such as effecting a persons memory. This is not good since adolecent brains dont stop growing until their mid twenties. Recent studies included "animal studies suggest that...show more content...

Reviewing these statists one may be able to analaze and see that even drivers between 21 to 24 were high at risk. What would make a person want to lower the drinking age to 18. Young adults at eighteen are new drivers and less expierenced then the 21 + drivers and logically would produce more fatal crashes. Thirdly another serious effect alcohol has is suicide. More than "150,000 students develop an alcohol–related health problem (Hingson et al., 2002[–>0]), and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use (Presley et al., 1998[–>1]). People who have any sort of mental condition such as depression, manic depressive and anxiety should not be drinking alcohol at all. It's simply not good for a mentally ill person. "Alcohol has been found to lower serotonin and norepinephrine levels" Meaning that by having the serotonin levels lowered it will actually make the person even more depressed and higher risk for sucide. Alcohol is also known as the new gateway drug. Marajuana once was but now alcohol has been added into this classification list. " youth who drink drink alcohol were 50 times more then likely to use cocaine and those who smoke ciggarettes were 19x more as likely to use cocaine"(Two Dangersous Gateway Drugs, 2001). Why should America lower the drinking age if alcohol has the potential to cause people to try drugs then those who don't Get more content

Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered

When thinking of alcohol, individuals may associate this substance with fun, partying, friends, and the feeling of being invincible. Although there are a legal alcohol drinking and purchasing age in various countries, it is easily accessible to those who are underage. Alcohol is a monitored and controlled substance that can be purchased legally, yet there are many concerns that surround the substance. There are pros, cons, and different patterns regarding alcohol and the legal alcohol drinking and purchasing age. As a result of alcohol use, there have been many fatalities and injuries due to impaired driving, while also being linked to patterns of violence, dependence, and aggression. Current debates surrounding Minimum Legal Drinking Ages (MLDA) state that the legal purchasing and drinking age should be lowered. The legal alcohol drinking and purchasing age should not be lowered as it could result in more fatalities and injuries among young adults, an increase in alcohol dependence, and increase acts of aggression and violence within society. There are many factors to consider when studying current legal alcohol age debates such as factors of Public Health and Safety, factors of addiction, and socio–economic factors. There have been many studies surrounding this issue in many places of the world such as various parts of the world, such as Canada, the United States, and New Zealand. These studies take the various factors and differing drinking ages into consideration. There

Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered?

The Drinking Age Should Be Lowered Alcohol! Should the legal drinking age be lowered? The answer to the question is yes, it should. The drinking age limit should be lowered because, in the eyes of the law, a person is seen as an adult at the age of eighteen, in other countries the lower drinking age is successful, and in college, the consumption among students increased after the limit was raised to twenty–one. The law recognizes citizens at the age of eighteen as legal adults: "adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption"("Drinking Age"). Legal adulthood consequently, comes with different types of rights and responsibilities. Once people reach the age of eighteen they receive the right to vote, to smoke, to have consensual sex, and to marry without parental consent. This gives them the ability to make decisions for the future of the country by voting, to do something that could affect their health, to do something that could result in a baby, which creates additional responsibility, and to start a new family through marriage without their parents' permission. The responsibilities of being a legal adult include having total responsibility for one's actions and being trusted not to break the law since an eighteen–year–old can be charged as an adult now. A person at the age of eighteen could be in charge of someone's life through serving on a jury in major court cases, such as murders. The law also requires that all males at the age of

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Should the legal age be lowered? There are many arguments on why the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. To some, lowering the drinking age to eighteen makes sense and to others it does not make sense at all. Most people believe that if eighteen year olds are old enough to make big decisions such as enlist in the Army, Navy, or other Military services then eighteen year olds are old enough to drink also. Not only does lowering the legal drinking age put the drinker at harm but also the people around the drinker. There are so many reasons why the legal drinking age should not be lowered, never less, three valid and proven reasons why the legal drinking age should not be lowered is, the effect on the brain, the safety of the drinker and the people around them, and the number of deaths that will increase. On July of 1984, the national drinking age was changed from eighteen to twenty–one. This law was passed thanks to Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MAAD). MAAD was founded by Candy Lightner, a mother who lost her daughter to a drink driver. "In 1980, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, or MAAD, was founded by Candy Lightner after her 13–year–old daughter was killed on her way home from a school carnival by a drunk driver. The driver had three previous DUI convictions and was out on bail from a hit–and–run arrest two days earlier. When MAAD was founded in 1980, more than 21,000 people were killed in drunk driving crashes each year. Lightner and MAAD helped to change Get

Should Drinking Age Be Lowered To 18?

The drinking age in the United States is currently 21. I believe that this drinking age should be lowered to 18. One reason why I believe this is because in the United States 18 is the age of adulthood so I think they they should be able to make there own decisions because you are not a minor anymore. For example, you are allowed to buy a house, vote, join the military, serve jury duty, get married, apply for loans, and use tobacco products. There are 115 countries with a MLDA (MinimumLegal Drinking Age) of 18–19. Also there is only 12 countries with a MLDA of 21. There are also fewer drunk driving traffic accidents and fatalities in many countries with MLDA of 18. I believe that this could help because there are a lot of DUI's and car crashes

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A huge debate in the United States in the past has been whether or not the drinking age should be lowered or raised or just stay right where it is. I believe that it should be lowered. If we are able to vote, die for our country, and rot in a jail cell why should young people not be allowed to have a few drinks every once in awhile. I think that if in the eyes of the law I am considered an adult the day I turn eighteen why am I not allowed to make a decision about whether I am able to consume alcohol or not. Although in twenty–nine states youth are allowed to consume alcohol on private property with the consent of a parent or legal guardian that still doesn't justify why people who are between the ages of eighteen and twenty are not allowed to go out and have drinks with friends. If adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty were able to drink in public environments, I believe that risks of injury and harm would increase greatly. ...show more content...

I personally believe that the opinions stated by Brandon Griggs, the CNN correspondent, are all valid and cover all aspects of this issue. I am partial to lowering the drinking age to eighteen. Not because I am a party–crazed teenager feening for alcohol to have a good time but because I believe that if the government wants to consider eighteen–year–olds adults then they should be treated as such. The government forces males to sign up for a draft to be able to send them to war if necessary and allows men and woman alike to vote, go to federal prison, or serve on a jury why should they not be allowed to buy a beer when they feel

"I must entreat you to be scrupulous in the use of strong liquors. One night's drunkenness may defeat the labours of forty days well employed." James Boswell once wrote. College students consuming alcohol has become a persistent problem in America. As we all know, alcohol is a product that has provided a variety of functions for people in the world, especially in twenty first century, it is widely used in socializing, chemically, and medicinally. Although drinking alcohol can benefit peoples in enhancing the enjoyment and quality of life, but massive of consumption could lead to addictions which may cause the negative impact in our life, such as small issues like having headache the next day, losing your job, or more serious of...show more content...

Drinking at college has become a ritual that students often see as part of their higher education experience. Many college students came to school with established drinking habits, and the environment in college can exacerbate the problem. According to a research, it shows that more than eighty percent of college students drink alcohol, and half reported had binge drinking at least five times a month. The consequences of abusive drinking in college will affects students in their families, relationship, college communities at large and making healthy choices. Students that are under the legal drinking age has found many ways to get access to alcohols, such as having a friend who is twenty one years or older to purchase for them, or getting it from home. They usually drink less often than adults, but when they do drink they tends to drink more than adults, which can lead to a serious problem and side effect in health that results in affecting their hormonal balance, normal development of organs, muscles and bones. It could also lead to serious damage in our body, such as brain damage. Since the brains of young drinkers are still developing, alcohol consumption has an effect on intellectual performance and the results in brain damage and effect can be permanent. Alcohol abuses in adolescent can lead to liver damage, they often have an increased number of liver enzymes which supports claims that alcohol contributes to a long term damage in the

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"Prohibition... goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes... A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded."– Abraham Lincoln Those words spoken by Abraham Lincoln are as true today as they were in 1840, and yet history and current policies show us that for a large part 174 years has done very little to change people's attitudes. The legal drinking age in the USA has been a topic of contention and debate since the ratification of the Twenty–first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and ushered in the end of prohibition in 1933....show more content...

The MLDA21 movement cited statistics from some reports that showed a disproportionate number of crashes related to drinking and driving among young adults aged 17–21 as the reason why the MLDA should be raised. The lobbying groups were partially successful in having the MLDA lowered in some states; however they realized that they would only be truly successful if they were able to push for change at the federal level. Seeing as the MLDA could only be set at the state level under the 21st amendment, the federal government used provisions from the Federal Highway Safety Act of 1966 to hold back a percentage of the highway funds to states not in compliance with MLDA21. (http:/

/onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360–0443.2009.02742.x/pdf)

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When a person turn 18 in most states they are considered adults under law and have most of the same rights and responsibilities as all other American adults. Their new rights include being able to vote, gamble, buy cigarettes, acquire guns, sign contracts, view adult material, get married, make a will, make their own medical choices and much more. With these newly acquired rights comes the burden of additional responsibilities and consequences.

Young adults are expected to abide by the contracts they sign, can have civil proceedings initiated against them, be legally required to serve on a jury, serve in the military, and will be tried as adults should they break the law. This last point means that if a

In today's society it is legal for an 18 year old to vote, be enlisted in the military, serve jury duty, buy tobacco products, live on their own and support themselves. Yet after all of that responsibility, these young adults are still not given the privilege to enjoy a few beers here and there. The current drinking age in the United States is 21 years of age, a controversial issue for many. The issue is exceptionally debatable and many people believe the drinking age should be lowered to the age of 18. Many college and university presidents disagree with the current legal drinking age and have come to the conclusion that outlawing alcohol to students under 21 makes the drinking problem worse! The national drinking age should be lowered...show more content...

Most States give a 16 year old the privilege of driving a motor vehicle without a parent or legal guardian. When a kid is behind the wheel they are capable of doing unthinkable damage and have control of countless lives at their hands. This is by far a greater responsibility than drinking alcohol. Many would conclude that all of those rights are more important than the right to drink. If 18 year olds are released out into the real world and given all of that pressure then no one should be able to say that they are not mature enough to handle alcohol. People say that if the drinking age is lowered then college students will abuse the privilege. They say they will drink irresponsibly and act reckless. Another concern is that it will lead to more excess drinking because it will be so accessible for students. On the contrary, when drinking is legal people are much more likely to drink responsibly and not binge drink because when something such as drinking is legal, students don't feel the need to force all of the drinks down at once in order to stay drunk for a longer period of time. The atmosphere in which people drink illegally is not a good situation for safe drinking. Underage drinking is usually done in frat basements, unsupervised house parties, and cars. When alcohol is consumed in these unsafe places it is unregulated and more likely for a terrible drinking incident to occur. The risk of binge drinking and ultimately death is a key reason why the drinking age

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Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered? Essay

Should The Drinking Age Be Lowered? One of the major problems today in United States society is the amount of people in college who are drinking while underage. Every day on college campuses we see rebellious young adults disobey the law and drink alcohol under the age of 21. How would things be different if the drinking age was lowered? Would college students abuse it or is it a good idea? Many people believe the drinking age should be kept where it is now based on statistics. I feel the drinking age should be lowered based on numerous accusations from people who state both opinions and statistics of the matter. Our generation is growing and more people believe they should be treated like adults. If we cannot be mature and do all the activities that our parents are doing at 18, then many of those people will believe they are not being treated maturely. David J. Hanson wrote an article on responses to arguments against the minimum drinking age (MDA). Hanson states in the article "citizens are legally adults at the age of 18" (Hanson). Adults can vote, own cars, operate businesses, hunt wildlife, be employed, and serve in a war but they cannot drink alcohol. Isn't part of being an adult being responsible for your actions and being mature? There are many people who decide to get married before they are 21 and are not even allowed to have wine at their own wedding. So people are allowed to get married and have a family but are not allowed to have alcohol? We're now in the Get