Drinking age dispute

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“The world today wouldn’t be where and what it is today without alcohol.” A bold statement yes, but there is some truth in that. One truth being there wouldn’t be a debate over whether the drinking age should be lowered. Another being history wouldn’t be the same because drinking and alcohol have been and continue to be big contubitors to history. The discovery of alcohol was initially used for health, but now alcohol is being abused and used to get drunk. This effects the body in many negative ways and can leaded to some life altering conditions. These conditions, aren’t only in adults but it children and teens as well, were drinking seems to be more binging. At the end of the day the nation has an internal debate to discuss whether the drinking age should be lowered or kept the same. Prohibition was a huge part of United States history and one of the biggest legiative failures in American history. The point of prohibition was to stop the consumption of alcohol in the United States and at first it was successful. Only about 30 percent of the people who drink alcohol continued to do so in the early stage of prohibition. However, this decline was short lived and the amount of people drinking rose back to 70 percent of how many people drank before it started (Miron). Though, Prohibition didn’t just start out of nowhere in 1920. There were many things going on in the country throughout history that brought about this change. From the beginning alcoholic drinks have been a hot top it, starting in the colonial period with the May Flower. Where being drunk was frowned upon and families were responsible for teaching good drinking habitats. The sales of strong alcohol was made illegal, but it didn’t stop there. Once the United States gai... ... middle of paper ... ... 1976-1987." Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 52.5 (1991): 478. Streeter, Ruth. "The Debate On Lowering The Drinking Age." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. "Underage Drinking." Underage Drinking-Why Do Adolescents Drink, What Are the Risks, and How Can Underage Drinking Be Prevented? U.S Department of Health and Safetly, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. Wechsler, Henry, et al. "Correlates of college student binge drinking." American Journal of Public Health 85.7 (1995): 921-926. "What Is Cardiomyopathy?" - NHLBI, NIH. NIH, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. Williams, Allan F., et al. "Effect of Raising the Legal Minimum Drinking Age on Involvement in Fatal Crashes, The." J. Legal Stud. 12 (1983): 169. Ruth, Engs C. "Why Drinking Age Should Be Lowered: Dr. Ruth Engs." Why Drinking Age Should Be Lowered: Dr. Ruth Engs. Indiana University, 1998. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

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