Society normally views teenagers as rebellious kids with an impulse to live new experiences. These experiences range from going to their first party to having their first alcoholic drink, and are sometimes as drastic as trying their first drug. Drinking alcoholic beverages is something that involves a lot of responsibility and can bring a plethora of negative consequences. This is the main reason why the United States has established a legal drinking age that I consider to be relatively high. With the legal drinking age being so high, while intending to avoid harmful situations, brings many repercussions that are equally as harmful. By human nature, whatever is prohibited to us is what we want the most. Teenagers are denied drinking and...show more content...
Of course, alcoholic beverages are offered there and as a consequence, entrance is denied to those less than twenty–one years old. Most people would assume that this dismisses the opportunity for college students to illegally drink alcohol. However, this only makes it less apparent. Students are becoming increasingly involved with Greek life and attend what they call "frat parties" where beer is offered to anyone, regardless of their age. A CBS News report with words from former Middlebury College president John McCardell stated that "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." College students in fraternity parties are known for getting extremely drunk, sometimes to the point of intoxication. This is partly due to the fact that drinking is something new for college students in the United States. These students are without parental supervision for probably the first time in their lives and they take extreme advantage of it. This leads to excessive consumptions of alcohol that are harmful to the teenagers. If the legal drinking age would be lowered to eighteen, teenagers would be able to experience these things at younger ages and with their parents or guardians within a reachable distance. Whenever a teenager is intoxicated, other people are afraid of seeking medical attention for the person because of the legal consequences it might
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When people turn eighteen they are finally considered an adult. They can join the army, vote, buy cigarettes or tobacco products, get a tattoo and even die for our country. Although everyone considers that person to be an adult, they are still not old enough to buy or consume alcohol. A person can be responsible enough to live on their own, make their own money, pay their own bills, and yet they are still not considered old enough to purchase or consume any type of alcohol. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would help prevent the crime and personal injuries that are caused by alcohol abuse. Although many states are trying to get the drinking age lowered, there are many groups and national statistics that are keeping the drinking set at 21....show more content... But the penalties that these states face in order to lower the drinking age, has stopped them from pursuing these laws. These are just a few of the many issues that are keeping most states from lowering their drinking age to 18. It has been a rising issue within the past century to have the drinking age set at 21, but many people are more in favor of having the age set at 18. For instance, "'Raising the drinking age to 21 was passed with the very best of intentions, but it's had the very worst of outcomes,' stated by David J. Hanson, an alcohol policy expert" (Johnson). Many people believe that having the drinking age set at 21 was a smart idea, but it has caused many more deaths and injuries over the years. Most of these fatalities are cause from people who are underage and choose to consume alcohol. Again, "Libertarian groups and some conservative economic foundations, seeing the age limits as having been extorted by Washington, have long championed lowering the drinking age" (Johnson). These groups see that keeping the drinking age set at 21 is dangerous as it causes more problems to the Untied States. If the drinking age was lowered, or set at 18, there would not be such unforgiving outcomes, like deaths and lifelong injuries, which are usually caused from people who are under the age of 21 drinking alcohol. Although there are numerous groups that are fighting to keep the age
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Lowering the Drinking Age In The United States, the government has set certain rules and limits on society for reasons such as protection, safety, stability, order, and success. For example, in 1984, The U.S. gov't has set an age limit on the consumption of alcohol, in order to lead safer and healthier lives. One reason it is believed to be safer if one cannot drink alcohol until the age of 21, is because the brain has not fully developed and the consumption of alcohol will interfere with that development. But is it really safer if the drinking age is 21, rather than 18? Many people will believe that it is safer, because that's what the gov't tells them, but those people will often fail to see the whole picture. Other than brain development,...show more content... Because the drinking age is lower in other countries, such as Europe, the drinking that occurs there demonstrates moderate, responsible alcohol intake and allows teenagers to ease into drinking at their own pace. One of the main reasons of binge drinking, drinking in unsafe environments, and alcohol related accidents is because teenagers enjoy the thrill of being able to do something that is illegal. However, in countries such as Europe, having a glass of wine at dinner or a beer while watching television, isn't anything out of the ordinary to them. Since their parents allow it, because the government allows it, there is no real motive to hide in a basement or dorm room and binge drink. They are also provided with a safe environment with legal adults who will know how to react in a dangerous situation. Often when teenagers are drinking and faced with a dangerous issue, such as if someone is too drunk and unconscious, they flee the scene in fear of getting in trouble. Any legal adult would take the right actions and give that person the treatment and care he or she needs or take them to seek medical help. That kind of care can be seen in other countries, where it is not wrong for an adult to be at the scene with teenagers drinking if it is legal. If the drinking age remains 21 here, there will be less and less adults at a scene of underage kids drinking, and therefore there will be no supervision if something goes wrong. According to the World Health Organization, 15 and 16 year old teens in many European states, where the drinking age is 18 and often not enforced, although have more drinking occasions per month, they have fewer dangerous, intoxication occasions than their American
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Lower The Drinking Age
Should the Drinking Age be Lowered from Twenty–One to a Younger Age
When people think of drinking, they think of fun games and parties. However, this depiction is wrong. When individuals under twenty–one drink, consequences emerge. In the United States, the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) is twenty–one. According to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), the legal drinking age set at twenty–one saves about 900 lives on the road annually (James C. Fell). By having the drinking age at twenty–one, the amount of alcohol consumed decreases. Less drinking results in a drop in potential risks and dangerous acts often associated with alcohol. Individuals under the age of twenty–one are not mature enough to make good choices. Therefore,...show more content... Toomey. "Effects of Minimum Drinking Age Laws: Review and Analyses of the Literature from 1960 to 2000." Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 2002. Web. 12 May 2016.
Fell, James C. "An Examination of the Criticisms of the Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 Laws in the United States from a Traffic–safety Perspective." Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center. Pacific Institute, 2008. Web. 12 May 2016.
"Dangers of Teen Drinking." Federal Trade Commission. N.p., Sept. 2013. Web. 12 May 2016.
"Policy Statement Alcohol Use by Youth and Adolescents: A Pediatric Concern."Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, 2010. Web. 12 May 2016.
"The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking."US Department of Human Health and Services (DHHS). N.p., 2007. Web. 12 May Get more content
According to Andrew Herman, "Each year, 14,000 die from drinking too much. 600,000 are victims of alcohol related physical assault and 17,000 are a result of drunken driving deaths, many being innocent bystanders" (470). These massive numbers bring about an important realization: alcohol is a huge issue in America today. Although the problem is evident in Americans of all ages, the biggest issue is present in young adults and teens. In fact, teens begin to feel the effects of alcohol twice as fast as adults and are more likely to participate in "binge–drinking" (Sullivan 473). The problem is evident, but the solution may be simple. Although opponents argue lowering the drinking age could make alcohol available to some teens not...show more content...
In the U.S., eighteen is the age at which person becomes a legal adult. He or she may then vote, buy cigarettes, join the military, or be arrested. So, why is it that drinking alcohol holds a much different standard? A United States soldier can go to war at eighteen years old. He may then fight for his country and freedom; however, while being away from home for over a year, he is denied the right to enjoy a beer with his buddies. Some nonbelievers try to contradict this argument with the fact that alcohol is damaging to a young brain. It's true excessive alcohol can damage a young and developing brain. However, what about smoking? Young adults are permitted to buy cigarettes at the age of eighteen. Cigarettes, a habit that is just as much, if not more, damaging than alcohol, may be purchased by a legal adult. If a person eighteen years of age or older can smoke, despite the fact that smoking is harmful, why can he not drink? Where is the consistency? If twenty–one is to remain the legal drinking age of adults, then all age laws should be raised to twenty–one. It is just that simple. Finally, a lower drinking age would diminish the temptation factor in young adults. Everyone has heard the infamous story of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis in the Bible. Adam and Eve were given a beautiful garden full of every kind of fruit, vegetable, and animal. They were given the power
