Minimum Legal Drinking Age

1479 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Lowering the United States legal drinking age

The Minimum Legal Drinking Age Alcohol has been apart of our country’s culture since the United States came to be. Drinking plays a huge part in social events and holidays. The minimum age at which a person should be able to legally drink has been disputed and argued many times and I believe always will. Along with that, underage drinking in our country is becoming very problematic. I believe that we should not lower the minimum legal drinking age to 18 because it would increase the problems that already occur with underage drinking. The history of the MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) is one of the biggest evidence we have that lowering the drinking age does not work. This can be traced back to the end of prohibition in 1933. Prohibition …show more content…

These long term effects can include fatalities or serious injuries from drunk driving, drinking until harmfully intoxicated, and alcohol addiction. Teens may not know that they get drunk twice as fast as adults. Therefore they have trouble knowing when to stop drinking and end up getting drunk, making them more vulnerable to actions they would not normally do if they were sober. When teens get behind a wheel while they are drunk is even more dangerous, not just to themselves but to people around them also. Before the minimum legal drinking age of 21 was implemented by all states, underage drunk drivers were involved in over twice as many fatal crashes as today (Madd). Another serious matter with drinking in young adults is alcoholism or becoming addicted to alcohol. Alcohol addiction can occur within six to eighteen months in a young adult or teenage while in adults, it can take up to 5 years or more. Every year that we delay the use of alcohol in young adults, the likelihood of alcoholism for that person will substantially decrease. Keeping the minimum legal drinking age at 21 is a way to prevent young adults from having any of these long term effects, and decreasing the age will just make these problems greater. Some people argue that they have a right as a legal adult at 18 to be able to drink. They believe that if they are able to fight for the country, pay taxes, buy a car, have a family, go to college, vote, smoke, they should be able to drink (Verbeckmoes). The problem is that drinking is different than any of those other responsibilities. Drinking has side effects and consequences that can affect other people than just the person who decided to drink. Since studies show that 18-year-olds are not mature enough to consume alcohol and make responsible decisions concerning alcohol, then it is not safe for others and themselves to make it

Show More
Related

  • The Consequences of Lowering the Legal Age for Consumption of Alcohol

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Underage Drinking and the American Citizen

    1119 Words  | 3 Pages

    This issue hit home for me because it puts many people at risk for things such as car accidents, binge drinking, alcoholism, depression, suicide, and rape, things no one should ever experience, let alone in middle or high school. These reasons are why the legal age to purchase, and consume alcohol should remain at 21 years of age.

    Read More

  • The Legal Age For Drinking Alcohol Should Stay The Same

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    First, the age limit to drink should stay the same has to do with the way the human body develops both mentally and physically. There is scientific evidence that the brain does not fully mature until the age of 21, on average. Before the age of 21, excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to permanent brain damage. Teens who have experienced alcohol withdrawal tend to have difficulties with memory. Since the teenage brain have been exposed to alcohol it will be at risk for being smaller in certain parts. Teenage alcohol can also negatively affecting a person’s memory, motor skills and test-taking ability for the rest of people lives. Research shows that because most of teenagers’ bodies are not ful...

    Read More

  • Lowering the Drinking Age

    1790 Words  | 4 Pages

    If the drinking age was lowered to eighteen years old it will promote and cause society in general to learn the responsibilities and long term effects of drinking in moderation. the eighteen to twenty years old age groups are the most known and looked at to have issues with drinking in moderation, but if the legal drinking age was decreased it wouldn't be so much of a problem. “Lowering the drinking age would allow people to get used to drinking in moderation. this would allow the to learn to drink responsibly and lead to less alcohol related incidents in the future.” Once young adults begin having the freedom to drink it become less of a big deal. “it would make drinking alcohol less f a taboo” and more of a learning experience (Anthony Buratti pg. 1). In countries such as France, Portugal, and Spain alcohol consumption is started at a very young age yet there is little to no evidence that it is harmful to the eighteen to twenty age groups (Jessica Pauline pg. 2). Attempting to prevent the eighteen to twenty age groups will only provoke them to do it more and unsupervised therefore possibly harming themselves with dangerous consequences (Underage Drinking pg. 18). Exposing them to alcohol will allow them to gai...

    Read More

  • Lowering the Drinking Age to 18

    2613 Words  | 6 Pages

    There has been an ongoing controversy in the United States on whether the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen like most of the world or if it should stay at twenty-one. Underage drinking has been a major controversial issue for years, yet why is it not under control? Teenagers are continuing to buy alcohol with fake identification cards, drink, get into bars, and drink illegally. As a teen, I have proof that these things are going on not only in college but in high school as well. There are a lot of factors that come together to why the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen; the most obvious reason is that too many people are drinking before they are twenty-one.

    Read More

  • The Minimum Legal Drinking Age

    1713 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...e minimum legal drinking age in the United States should remain at twenty-one years old. Since the National Legal Drinking Age Act was ratified, the consumption of liquor among minors has abated significantly. With the restriction in affect, the United States is definitely a safer place when it comes to alcohol use. Even though, the reduction of the drinking age would get rid of the taboo that surrounds alcohol which would result in fewer teens drinking just to be accepted by their peers, young adolescents now have a harder time getting access to alcohol due to the minimum legal drinking age resulting in less alcohol-affiliated problems and a decrease in damage to their bodies. Teens and alcohol are not a good mix so citizens of the United States should keep them separated as best as they can. By having a minimum age limit of twenty-one, that is a great way to do it.

    Read More

  • Reconsidering the National Minimum Age Drinking Act

    1457 Words  | 3 Pages

    The National Minimum Age Drinking Act was signed into law on July 17, 1984. This law was carried out at the federal level and forced all states to raise the minimum drinking to 21 or face federal-aid cuts in their highway funding. I believe this law must be repelled and that the drinking age should be lowered to 18. We must decriminalize the notion of underage drinking because why must 18 through 20 year olds be treated like children but charged as adults? The United States has the highest binge drinking percentage worldwide, with 5,000 people under the age of 21 dying each year due to alcohol poisoning.

    Read More

  • The Drinking Age Must not Be Lowered

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech On Lowering The Drinking Age

    2008 Words  | 5 Pages

    Do you enjoy being told what to do after you turn an 18 and you become an adult? I know I don’t. As you transition into that adult phase you get to enjoy adult activities such as voting and joining the military. As an adult there comes responsibility and at some points you have to make tough decisions. One of those decision include are you going to drink under age. What if I could tell you that the drinking age use to be 18 years old in 30 states. Should the drinking age go back to 18 years old? I am one who believes that as an adult you should have the ability to make those decisions. Lower the drinking age to 18, but we need to enforce the laws and educate our youth.

    Read More

  • Minimum Legal Drinking Age Should Remain at the Age of 21

    1314 Words  | 3 Pages

    Without a doubt, the United States has been facing serious national problems with underage drinking. Depending on personal ideologies, some people might not agree that the current minimum drinking age of twenty-one is based on scientific facts rather then ideology of prohibitionism. For example, since 1975 over seventeen thousand lives have been saved since the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) was changed to age twenty-one (Balkin 167). This shows that even over a short amount of time, a higher MLDA helps decrease the risk of teen suicides, accidents and overdose deaths. However, this widely debated topic has inevitably brought attention to the plethora of supporting and opposing viewpoints. The minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one has shown significant results in the prevention of accidents and death studies across the board. Accordingly, the MLDA should remain at the current age of twenty-one.

    Read More

  • Lowering Drinking Age to 18

    1208 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the drinking age ProCons.org, lowering the drinking age will invite more use of illicit drugs among 18-21 year olds. It is more likely that they will use other illicit drugs. Lowering the minimum drinking age to 21 would increase the number of teens who drink and therefore the number of teens who use other drugs knowing the effects of this situation, and understanding what can happen. Young adults cloud face many more problems than just . Drinking is one step forward to many more drugs. According to drinking age ProCons.org, the minimum drinking age at 21 reduces traffic accidents and fatalities were reduced, 100 of the 102 analyses ( 98 percent) in the 2002 meta-study of the legal drinking age and traffic accidents found higher legal drinking age associated with lower accidents.

    Read More

  • The Legal Drinking Age Should Be 18

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first establishment of a national drinking age actually started before prohibition. The temperance movement at the time used a minimum drinking age to gradually bring about the ban of alcohol all together. In 1919 the temperance movement got what they wanted and the 18th Amendment was created banning the sale of Alcohol in America. This ultimately failed resulting in increased gang violence and bootlegging. In 1933 due to a change of public opinion the ban was lifted with what is called the 21st Amendment. After prohibition what was left of the temperance movement made sure that a minimum drinking age remained. This made it illegal for anyone under 21 to buy liquor but in some states you could still buy beer at 18. This remained the case for the next forty years. In the early 70’s when baby boomers were dealing with the Vietnam war there was pressure to lower the drinking age, so many states (29 of them) lowered the LDA to either 18 or 19. The big argument was that if one could die in combat why couldn’t he have a drink. But, as the baby boomers aged there wasn’t as much support for these liberties so by the 80’s most states went back to 21. Then in 1984 the National Minimum Drinking Age Act passed which forced all states to adopt a drinking age of 21 within 2 years or face being cut federal funds for state highways.

    Read More

  • Don't lower the drinking Age

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    It really is no secret that if the minimum legal drinking age were lowered, a large number of teens would then drink for perhaps the first time. “The age group with the most drivers involved in fatal crashes with Blood Alcohol Content levels of .08 or higher during 2011 was the twenty-one to twenty-four-year-olds” (“National Highway Traffic Facts”). Young adults are just as irresponsible at eighteen as they are at twenty-one, maybe even more irresponsible. The teenagers will indulge themselves on what they feel is a luxury the first chance they get. The young adults abuse the alcohol, and then go driving because even at twenty-one through twenty-four they are still not as responsible. If the age is lowered to eighteen, many eighteen-year-olds will go out and drink alcohol for the first time. The age group may rise to number one in fatal crashes. The National Highway Traff...

    Read More

  • Drinking Age Persuasive Essay

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    The debate of whether the minimum legal drinking age should be lowered or not has been around for many years even since the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 raised the MLDA to age 21. Prior to that, the government has t...

    Read More

  • Legal Drinking Age Essay

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many good arguments for why the drinking age should be lowered. In the United States at 18 a person is a legal adult. They may move out of their homes and star their own lives. At 18 you can also vote, serve on juries, and get married. They can sign up to join the military and fight to defend our country, so why can't they drink alcohol? If you can make the decision to put your life on the line overseas, then you should be mature enough to know your drinking limits. Many people believe that lowering the minimum legal drinking age to 18 would raise the crime rate, but that is not true. Many studies were done to test whether or not a lower drinking age would increase crime and suicide rates. Over 72% of the studies showed that there...

    Read More

More about Minimum Legal Drinking Age

Open Document