Irresponsibility of a Lowered Drinking Age

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Alcohol, also called ethyl alcohol, is a colorless, limpid, volatile, flammable, water-miscible liquid, having an etherlike odor and pungent, burning taste. It is used chiefly as a solvent in the extraction of specific substances: in beverages, medicines, organic synthesis, lotions, tonics, colognes, rubbing compounds, as an automobile radiator antifreeze, and as a rocket fuel, all this according to Dictionary.com. Alcohol is a drug, just like marijuana or cocaine, and should be treated as such. The legal drinking age should not be lowered because it is medically irresponsible, the current legal drinking age does reduce alcohol consumption, and the legal drinking age should not be lowered to mirror European drinking age limits because the rate of drinking among U.S. teenagers is lower than most European countries. Lowering the drinking age would be medically irresponsible for numerous reasons. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that alcohol interferes with mood, behavior, cognitive function, and motor skills in the brain. Heavy drinking affects the heart and liver and drinking in general causes the pancreas to release toxic substances which are obviously not healthy. Drinking also increases the risk for multiple cancers and weakens the immune system (2). Studies have shown that moderate drinking can help heart health but the negatives far outweigh the positives. In light of these potential health dilemmas and the other avenues to being heart healthy, this is not enough justification to make alcohol more accessible to teenagers. Alcohol is a depressant, a substance that slows the transmission of nerve impulses, and the brain is incredibly sensitive to this effect. Alcohol slows down your reaction time to stimuli... ... middle of paper ... ...d from fifty-six percent in 1982 to twenty-three percent in 2005. The average age of the first drink for Americans before they are twenty-one is fourteen. By high school, more than thirty percent of teenagers are binge drinking at least once a month. It not only increases the risk of violence, injuries, and other health risks, but alcohol consumption at such a young age can also interfere with brain development and lead to permanent cognitive and memory damage in teenagers (Zeigler 3). Many more young people use alcohol than tobacco or other illicit drugs. Teens may not drink as much as adults but when they drink they drink more than adults. Binge drinking is definitely one of the largest problems when it comes to underage drinking. One of the most appalling facts is the blind faith parents have in their children to make the right decision when it comes to alcohol.

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