Should the United States follow other countries in their quest to end the debate on the drinking age? The United States can take a look at other States such as: Germany, the Netherlands and France, and see how successful they are. Many teenagers would jump on the bandwagon of lowering the drinking age just because they want to have the ability to drink, the argument of being able to die for the United States but can’t drink and it would take away the “Forbidden Fruit” of drinking. Much of the older generations would jump on the bandwagon of keeping the drinking age the same because they had to wait to drink, because drinking has adverse effects on the brain and drinking could lead to binge drinking. The United States define an adult as an individual reaching the age of 18. When one hits 18 years old, they automatically attain responsibilities set forth by the government. The government allows one to get married and divorce without parental consent, rent and buy homes, enroll in the military, vote, and, most importantly, be tried as an adult. The government has set forth these responsibilities for us because they/it believes we have the capability of controlling our choices. Though the government has given us these rights to use or dispose of as we choose, except being tried as an adult, they have set aside other rights for later parts of our lives; such as renting a car, running for federal public office and drinking. Running for federal public office is set by the Constitution, for good reason. However, the age of alcohol consumption has been thrown around and debated over for the last few decades, especially in the more recent decades. Some universities and their presidents have come together to form a coalition for the loweri... ... middle of paper ... ...Disease Control and Prevention, 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. Daniloff, Caleb. “BU Today.” BU Today. Boston University Today. 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 02 Feb. Feb. 2014. "Drinking Age ProCon.org." ProCon.org Headlines. N.p., 05 Feb. 2014. Web. 07 Feb. 2014. “Minimum Age Limits Worldwide.” Minimum Age Limits Worldwide. International Center for Alcohol Policy (ICAP), Aug. 2013. Web. 08 Feb. 2014. Pope, Justin. "Education." College Presidents Want Lower Drinking Age. USA Today, 18 Aug. 2008. Web. 08 Mar. 2014. United Nations. "Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health." WHO. World Health Organization, 2011. Web. 8 Feb. 2014. Wechsler, H., & Nelson, T. F. (2010). Will increasing alcohol availability by lowering the minimum legal drinking age decrease drinking and related consequences among youths? American Journal of Public Health, 100(6), 986-992. Web. 02 Feb. 2014
of the year. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 591-594. Print. The. Wallace, David.
Lowering the legal drinking age would create problems such as infringing on the mental and physical development of the young drinker. As a respected author, Matt Nagin puts it, “The late teens and early twenties are formative years where character building, leadership in the community, and scholastic excellence should be emphasized. Alcohol detracts from all of these.” In other words, Nagin believes that the teen years are an imperative time of growth in a person’s life. Scientists have proven that the brain is not fully developed until the age of twenty five. If Nagin’s argument is correct, and I believe it is, then people should understand that scientists have proven the negative affects that alcohol has on the development of the brain. Alcohol has the power to kill brain cells and damage growth hormones. By making alcohol legally accessible to an eighteen year old, we are literally poisoning his or her brain.
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Boston: Little, Brown, 1966. 369-372. Print. The.
Primarily, the drinking age should be lowered to teach responsibility and safety in young adults. The idea seems paradoxical; however, the high drinking age that is present in the U.S. today has only pushed underage drinking underground (Balko 458). In fact, America has the highest minimum drinking age in the world (Balko 459). Even though the American drinking age remains high, America still remains with an astonishingly large number of alcohol-related accidents and deaths. Is this statement a coincidence? Throughout the years alcohol has become more and more of an issue in young adults, but the correct actions are not taking place. If alcohol were to legally be put in the hands of Americans eighteen and above, these individuals would likely be forced to learn a sense of safety and responsibility. As stated by Caryn Sul...
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.
We knocked on the door of the off-campus apartment, as it opened we were confronted with the heavy stench of alcohol. A young girl was passed out on the living room floor, a pile of empty beer cans filled the kitchen sink, and the deafening music rattled the window panes. A group of girls managed to stumble past us. They waved goodbye to the host, who was handing drinks to me and my sister. It was not my first time drinking. In fact, everyone there was quite experienced – after all, it’s college. Half of the guests were completely drunk, and I had no problem with it. That is, until later that night when my sister locked herself in a room with a guy she had met only a week before. This prompted me to seriously consider the effects of alcohol. Would my sister have been able to see the danger of the situation had she been sober? Would the absence of alcohol have prevented the events of that night from occurring? These questions, along with the vivid memory of that night, fueled my examination of the complex social problem of underage drinking.
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.
Since this country was born it has been raised on alcohol, even the prohibition couldn 't stop the Americans from doing what they love to do. But back then they were lenient on the age to consume alcohol. But in 1980’s Ronald Reagan passed the Drinking Age Act which permanently raised the drinking age to twenty-one through out the nation. Which people asked themselves is this right? When at eighteen you 're legally allowed to be on a official jury, vote for the next president and fight for your country. So lowering the drinking age to 18 would make sense.
The controversy on the proper drinking age is one that has been repeatedly discussed and researched over the years. Its common to hear the argument “If someone is old enough to take a bullet for their country, they should be allowed to drink alcohol.” But is that enough justification? Some would say no. “According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) it is estimated that in 2004 there were more than 1,700 student deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 696,000 assaults annually associated with excessive drinking” (Fennell 247). Given these numbers, would lowering the drinking age really be the best thing for America’s youth?
The drinking age of twenty-one is a paradox of age eighteen as the age of consent. “The age of consent is defined to be the age at which the person becomes able to make responsible decisions” (“Why the US Drinking Age Should Be Lowered to 18”). The government needs to start genuinely treating eighteen year-olds like the adults the U.S. constitution says they are (Barnes). The United States entrusts eighteen year-old citizens with ...
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.
Turning 18, one becomes an adult, however there are still many things that are restricted and not allowed until one reaches an even older age. The most controversial today is the minimum legal drinking age. Much like in the 1920s, when prohibition was established by the 18th amendment and all alcohol was banned from the United States, underground binge drinking occurred resulting in the opposite of what the law was intended to do. Then in 1933, the 21st amendment overturned that law, making alcohol legal again. Further down the timeline, in 1980 Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was founded to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy. From their efforts, the federal government put in place a law that would revoke ten percent of any states highway funding who did not have their minimum legal drinking age set to 21. Immediately in 1984, all states raised their legal drinking ages to 21 in fear of being withheld the funding. Today, 30 years later, the law is still in place, however a debate has sprung up in support of lowering the drinking age back to 18. The group Amethyst Initiative, which has gained support from prestigious universities such as Dartmouth, Duke, and Virginia Tech, started this uproar. Through this, the question emerged, should the legal drinking age be lowered back to 18, and what would result if it happens? There are three positions on this issue. Position one wants to keep the drinking age as is, like Matt Nagin in “Top 3 Reasons Why the Drinking Age Should Not be Lowered.” Position two wants the legal drinking age to be lowered back to 18, like Dale Archer M.D. in “The Pros and Cons of Drinking at 18.” And position th...
For example, a twenty-year old, wounded soldier from Iraq can vote, get married, and be tried as an adult, but he can’t even buy a drink! Apparently, we value the condition of his social life more than life itself. Hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers have experienced the same scenario. This is nothing new, there is a long history of alcoholism. The first establishment of a national drinking age actually started before prohibition.
John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2000. 127. The Glaspell, Susan. A.