Drinking Legally at Age 18
Eighteen year olds all over the United States are arguing for the drinking age to be lowered. “I can fight and die for this country, so why can’t I crack a beer,” many college students argue (Daniloff). Henry Wechsler, a Lecturer in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, found that, “in 2001, 77.4% of underage college students drank alcohol. Furthermore, half of the students under 21 years of age reported that they found alcohol very easy to obtain” (Vecchia). We all know that gaining access to alcohol is easy and drinking in college is even easier. So why shouldn’t the drinking age be lowered to eighteen? Regardless of what the law argues, underage drinking is going to occur. Besides, at age eighteen you legally an adult, you have the power to make your own decisions, consuming and buying alcohol should be one of them. I believe the drinking age should not only be lowered because as adults we have the right to making our own choices, but also because, underage drinking is becoming very common in college to make friends and fit in, and more people underage are easily gaining access to alcohol with fake identifications cards or from other people.
The day you turn eighteen is the day you officially become labeled an adult. As a young adult you are held accountable for your own actions and decisions. You are expected to be more responsible and more mature. The word “adult” comes with the title of being a grown up. The drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen because at age eighteen you are legally an adult. Many believe that at age twenty-one we are far more mature and can handle our alcohol, but our tolerance is not built up yet...
... middle of paper ...
...cts support my argument that it should be lowered to eighteen. Allow these young adults to do as they choose. If they want to consume alcohol or purchase it, the law should allow them to. They are old enough to make their own decisions, which is supposed to be one of the perks that comes with being an adult. The more the law pushes to stop underage drinking, the more it will happen. Most underage college students are exposed to alcohol and will consume it for multiple reasons. At age twenty-one the same factors of binge drinking, being irresponsible, and so on, can happen. Eighteen years old or twenty-one years old, if you do not have a high tolerance for alcohol, you will act in the wrong manner and will suffer the same consequences. Allow eighteen year olds to be adults like the legally are. Allow them to decide whether or not they want to buy or consume alcohol.
Despite the problems that would arise, many people are beginning to feel that the drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. Studies have been made; however, no hard evidence suggesting lowering the minimum drinking age would help have surfaced. Although there are countless studies of how alcohol has many harmful effects on teenagers, there is a great deal of negative criticism about what if the drinking age is lowered. Some would say the morally right decision is to not allow teens the chance to hurt themselves. Everyone is entitled to having his or her own opinions and beliefs. However, the overall health of the youth of our country seems a little more important than some personal belief. The drinking age should not be lowered due to the fact drunk driving, juvenile delinquency, and alcohol-related medical issues related to teens will increase.
Lowering the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen is a good idea because it will most likely promote responsibility, alcohol consumption will be more controlled, and, if not done so, it is posing as discrimination against the eighteen to twenty age group; however, lowering the legal drinking age back to eighteen can be fatal because the brains of the eighteen to twenty year old age groups are not fully developed, binge drinking and alcohol addiction rates will go up, and the drinking and driving rates will increase.
Should the legal alcohol drinking age be lowered to eighteen? At the age of eighteen years old, you are eligible to vote, you can legally purchase cigarettes, you are eligible for the military draft, you are willing to die for this country, you are even able to serve on a jury, and you are titled as an adult at the age of eighteen. Why can’t someone at the age of eighteen not drink alcohol? Who is to say that just because someone is twenty-one years of age means that they are wise enough to drink alcohol in an accountable conduct? There are several explanations why one ought to be able to drink alcohol at the age of eighteen.
The debate of the drinking age has been long discussed throughout America. The drinking age has been 21 for the last 22 years, and people around the country have wondered weather or not this was the right call. People say that 18 year olds may not be mature enough to drink alcohol and might not know when to stop. It isn’t that teenagers don’t know how to stop, but rather have not been properly taught when enough has been consumed or how to drink responsibly. Changing the drinking age from 21 to 18 years old will take the thrill that teens get from breaking the law while drinking, will no longer give them the idea that drinking is the final stage of adulthood and full maturity, and will no longer force teenagers to drink in unsupervised areas.
When it comes to the discussion over lowering the legal drinking age to eighteen, people express various different ideas and beliefs concerning the issue. Some believe that the drinking age for alcohol should be lowered and others believe that it should stay the same. Those that do believe lowering the drinking age is the best route to take, do have valid points. However, there are others who argue that changing the law will not change things for the better. In the end, one could feel that lowering the drinking age to eighteen could actually show signs of promise in equality for all American adults. Changing this law could decrease the tendency of young adults to break the law, and could train them to have more self-control.
There are many people that enjoy the occasional alcoholic refreshment to wind down from a tough day. Young adults seem to be the age group that uses a glass of wine or a beer after work to transition from work to home life. Among these young adults trying to relax their ever racing, hectic lives, there are a vast amount of the legal adult age of 18, but just not old enough to legally consume alcohol. Whether those under the age of 21 agree with the fact or not, the minimum legal drinking age should remain at the age of 21 for the health, safety, and well-being of our younger generations.
Bob Marley once said, “Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.” This is the case when it comes to teens and alcohol. In America, the National Minimum Legal Drinking Age is a topic of great debate and controversy. Many people argue that the age restriction provides a safe environment for all citizens; whereas others disagree that the law creates an untrustworthy aura among teens. If the minimum legal drinking age were to be lowered, most people would be affected by it, whether it be by an increase in drunk-driving or a rise in crimes. Although teens are legally considered adults by the age of eighteen and the minimum legal drinking age prompts underage teens to exhibit risky behavior, the age restriction should not be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen because young teens would have easier access to alcohol, the minimum legal drinking age has decreased alcohol-related problems, and alcohol can cause damage to underage drinkers.
Lawmakers should not consider lowering the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen. Despite the deep value this country places on freedom, personal liberties, and personal responsibilities, the data shows that public safety is greatly at risk if the drinking age were to be lowered to twenty-one. A variety of groups believe that the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen deeming that the twenty-one law is unconstitutional. On the opposing side, people agree that the law helps to protect our young people and the communities where they live.
According to Center for Disease Control and Protection, about 4,700 people under age twenty one die from injuries involving underage drinking every year. Illegal alcohol consumption has been a major problem with high school students around the nation. Lowering the drinking age from twenty one would result in major consequences for America’s adolescents. By lowering the drinking age, alcohol would be more accessible to those who choose to participate in underage drinking. The desire to drink for teens and young adults between the ages of fourteen and twenty can be caused by peer pressure or an act of rebellion. One beer might not seem like a big deal at the time, but it could lead to a life of addiction and alcoholism.
... age in the U.S. The drinking age is 21, but several reasons show that it should be brought down to 18. Drinking goes on with people under the age of 21, however, by lowering the age there will be less alcohol related problem. Being able to drink is a sign of maturity and growing up, and most people are becoming more independent, and make their own choices as 18 year olds. When they make their own choices they will take full responsibility for their actions. If someone is mature enough to smoke, they should be allowed to drink. The U.S. government should lower the drinking age to 18 based on the positive effects it will have in the communities, states, and nation. Lowering the drinking age in the United States is one of the topics that has been debated for years. However, it should be lowered, and in doing so this will make the U.S. a better and safer place to live.
Upon turning eighteen you are considered to be legal adult and receive all of the responsibilities that accompany the title. At the age of eighteen year olds you receive and are expected to use the rights and responsibilities to vote, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, join the military--which includes taking on the responsibilities of life and death--and be prosecuted as an adults in the court of law along with many other things. In 1984, the national government raised the drinking age from 18 to 21. Mothers Against Drunk Driving was a key contributing organization that influenced the change in the minimum drinking age. While there are arguments for both sides, it is said that if the national minimum legal drinking age is dropped back to eighteen many lives would be saved, colleges will have better retention as well as turn out rates of high school graduates, and it could repeal or alter a counterproductive law. The minimum legal drinking age should be lowered back down to the age of eighteen and those who wish to drink should be required to take classes to attain a drinking license upon completing the class in a satisfactory manner.
Drinking Age Limit I. A. HOOK A-1. Everyone knows that it is illegal to consume alcohol until the age of 21 in the United States. Many people are in agreement with this legal restriction. Some would even say that it should be raised. However, the legal drinking age sometimes causes more problems then it prevents. B. I am here today to persuade you that drinking age limit should be lowered. C. Why? Because we care. We care about people who abuse alcohol and in that way harm themselves, their families, and innocent people around them. II. A. First, it is necessary to question this law. Why is 21 the "magical" age that makes one intelligent and mature enough to consume alcohol? Surely, some adults abuse alcohol and some teenagers in this ver room would be perfectly able to drink responsibly. Why not 18 or 35 or 40? At 18, people are considered adults. It may seem unfair to many observers to allow 18-20 year olds to marry, to have children, to own cars, homes, pay taxes, vote, fly planes, risk their lives in the armed forces own firearms and to be financially and socially independent, and yet to be legally prohibited from drinking a glass of wine in a restaurant, or even a glass of champagne at their own wedding. I think it is a problem to have a limit higher then the age of maturity. B. Teenagers look at drinks as something glamorous. It is view as an adult activity; and teenagers want to be adult ASAP.
As stated before an argument frequently used when concerning lowering the drinking age is as a legal adult at age 18, one should be allowed to consume alcohol. However, the consumption of alcohol is a privilege not a right and due to the dangers posed by irresponsible drinking the age one should be allowed to drink should be higher. Just because one is considered an “adult” does not mean they posses the responsibility to drink legally. There are many rights in the United States that have a high age of initiation besides just consuming alcohol. “A person ...
“Should the drinking age be lowered?” has been debating for years. The history of the minimum legal age to drink alcohol can be traced all the way back to the end of Prohibition in 1933. Lawmakers at that time made the youngest age to consume alcohol to be 21. However, it had changed over the years. Between 1970 and 1975, 29 states lowered the minimum legal drinking age to either 18, 19 or 20. It was due to the lowered required voting age from 21 to 18. When many scientific studies showed that the increasing traffic accidents and fatalities was due to people drinking at the age of 18 and 19 between 1979 and 1983, many of the states that had lowered the drinking age changed it back to 21. In 1984, all the changes had come to unification. The congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. The act punished every state that did not rise the minimum legal drinking age back up to 21. As a result, the legal drinking age has stood at 21 since that law was enacted. Since then, scholars have been arguing to lower the drinking age again.
Reducing the drinking age would increase the amount of youth who drink and this would lead to more irresponsible drinking.It is not a fact of age but the alcohol itself. Ronald J. Hunsicker, president and CEO of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Provider (NAATP), says, “I’m not sure that the issue is age” (“College Presidents” 2). He is inferring that the problem is not the legal age but, the problem is who and how responsible is he or she. Hunsicker believes the real problem is “…alcohol abuse and alcoholism” (“College Presidents” 2). While the idea of the person and how responsible he or she may be might play a large role in the conflict, I find that age does play a large factor. Youth under the age of twenty one tend to be just too irresponsible and drink mainly just to become drunk. Binge drinking has become a large cultural change, especially in underage college students, since the increase of the legal age in 1984 (Heath 1). If the legal drinking age were to be reduced to eighteen, then would that also reduce the amount of binge drinking that takes place within ages eighteen to twenty one? Kids are going to do as they please, especially in college. College is the first time they are finally out of the house and have a sense of freedom. Most new college students are going to branch out and try new things ...