Lowering The Legal Drinking Age

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Lowering the Legal Drinking Age Almost everyone can agree that alcohol should not be given or allowed to children under a certain age. Alcohol is a substance that is very dangerous and if you used incorrectly or immaturely the consequences can be a great danger to the users or the ones around them. The recent discussions regarding drinking are about whether the legal drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. This controversial issue has been specifically relevant to college students because drinking has become a big part of college life and can be found all over college campuses. Proponents of lowering the legal drinking age from 21 argue that it has not stopped teen drinking, and has instead pushed more illegal underage drinking. On the other hand, however, Opponents of lowering the legal drink age argue that teens have not yet reached an age where they can handle alcohol responsibly. The legal drink age should stay at twenty-one because people tend to be more mature and responsible at 21 than at 18. 18-year-olds are typically entering a new phase of independence from their parents through college or the workforce, and are more susceptible to binge drinking, risky sexual activity, and other irresponsible behavior due to lack of maturity. Even though there are only a couple of years between these two ages I feel that a lot of growing and maturing happens in those years. The right to drink should be held at a higher age because of the dangers posed by drinking. There are many risks associated with improper alcohol intake, and we need to make sure people are mature and responsible enough to realize the major effects it can have in one’s life. Alcohol can negatively affect us in many ways including our social s... ... middle of paper ... ...” effect which will result in illegal drinking; giving high school students and even middle school student easier access to alcohol. In conclusion, I believe that the legal drinking age should not be lowered because drinking can be dangerous to the health and well-being of anyone. As the prominent philosopher, Whiting puts it, “Alcohol is the oldest and the most widely used drug in the world” (Whiting). Drinking should be restricted due to the responsibility required when using alcohol. S, Teens do not fully understand the serious effects of drinking at an early age. It can lead to many long-term problems like alcohol abuse, addictions, car accidents, brain injuries, and even death. I think that by leaving the legal drinking age at 2, it gives young adults more time to mature and realize the long term problems that can take place when alcohol is used irresponsibly.

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