Lowering the Legal Drinking Age

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Here in the United States, there is a law that prohibits youth 21 years of age and younger not to drink any alcohol beverages. However, in this country, anyone who turns 18 can sign up and be in the armed forces to protect the country. In the year 2001, war broke out between the Middle East and the United States and thousands of men and women were deployed to the Middle East to deal with the problem. While they were over there, the soldiers would witness many things that civilians could never dream of. In the book “An Angel in Hell” by Ryan A. Conklin, he stated he would always wake up hoping that that day was not the last day he would be on this Earth. He was always on high alert while on patrols, dodging bullets and shooting his own gun just to stay alive. He also said in his book that he found it odd and annoying that he could see all of these horrific things while being deployed in Iraq but since he was only 20 years of age he could not enjoy a simple beer when he would return to the states on leave. This is one reason why the drinking age should be re-evaluated for change. Men and women in the armed forces deserve an extra privilege when they return from leave and the law also needs to match the other responsibilities and privileges that a young adult receives when turning 18 years old.

To start off, scientists, lawmakers and parents need to figure out why teenagers start to drink at an early age and why teenagers want to drink before the legal age. According to “The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism”, there are some risk factors such as heredity, environmental status and how big of a risk taker that teenager is (http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa67/aa67.htm). Teenagers who grow up in a ho...

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"Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?" Drinking Age ProCon.org. Web. 23 June 2010. .

Teen Marriage Requirements." Marriage Laws Marriage License Requirements United States. 2009. Web. 06 July 2010.

“Underage Drinking-Why Do Adolescents Drink, What Are the Risks, and How Can Underage Drinking Be Prevented?" NIAAA Publications. Web. 23 June 2010. .

Wilson, Jacque. "Old Enough to Vote, Serve in the Military ... and Drink? - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 21 Aug. 2008. Web. 24 June 2010. .

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