Underage Drinking In the article Why the Drinking Age should be Lowered, Ruth Engs believes that the drinking age should be lowered to about 18 or 19. Engs is a Professor at Indiana University in the Health and Sciences department. In this article Engs makes a valid point in that “responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and educational programs.” Engs also states facts about the different drinking ages in other countries, and that the United States has the highest legal purchasing
Causes of Underage Drinking Today, many teenagers experience different things in the world. Whether it is their first date or first day in high school, teens are always eager to try something different or new. One of the things that teenagers try is drinking alcohol. Unfortunately, underage drinkers often abuse alcohol. In this paper, I will try to shed some light on some of the reasons why teenagers drink alcohol at such premature age. The causes of underage drinking include peer pressure
Alcohol Advertising: The Cause of Underage Drinking? The question, “Is alcohol advertising the cause of underage drinking?” seems to flow through the minds of many American families. The answer to the question largely depends upon the families view on drinking in general. Some homes encourage drinking every once in a while, for social purposes; while others condemn it all together. The topic is very controversial with several factors weighing in such as religion, family background, and health
Solutions to the Underage Drinking Problem As more and more innocent lives are taken by accidents involving alcohol, it's no wonder why the drinking age is enforced. Consumption of alcohol doesn't just pertain to drinking and driving but is also involved in teen deaths such as suicide, homicide, and other accidents including drowning. Last year, 224 Texans under the age of 21 died in traffic accidents caused by drunken drivers. How well is it being enforced though? A Gallup Youth Survey taken
opposing arguments published in the Washington Post by T.R. Reid and Joseph Califano in regard to teenage drinking in America and other nations of the western hemisphere are not only polar opposites, but so extreme that it does not allow for a happy median. Harsh restrictions not only discourage parents of today's American society from talking freely with teens pertaining to responsible drinking, but also chastises parents who allow teens to experiment with alcohol in a controlled setting with experienced
completion. Early alcohol use is also associated with engaging in sexual behaviors. Underage drinking activity is not only hurting adolescents. It also affects the world around them such as their families, friends and community. Why is underage drinking occurring? What is the reasoning behind their starting to drink at such an early age? Childhood experiences, parents, peers and the media have more effect on underage drinking than people may think. Childhood Experiences Our childhood makes up who we are
who is under the legal alcohol drinking age. Fewer situations are more life threatening than when an underage driver has been illegally consuming alcohol, yet persists in the belief that he or she retains the ability to drive safely. Thoughts along this line are foolish at best and deadly at worst. Unfortunately the worst case scenario is all to often a common occurance among intoxicated teenage drivers. Obataining a complete grasp of the effects of underage drinking and driving require not only simple
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. Before the Drinking age was passed many states had a drinking age of 18 or 19. But the main ways the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) got passed was from
The law on drinking in the UK has always been very clear. “If you’re under 18, it is against the law: for someone to sell you alcohol, to buy or try to buy alcohol, for an adult to buy or try to buy alcohol for you and to drink alcohol in licensed premises.” Breaking these laws can have serious consequences such as fines and imprisonment, however like with most laws people break them, ignoring the consequences of their actions. The drinking law is a regular law which is broken. A lot of people forget
Introduction Underage drinking occurs when anyone under the legal age of 21 has begun to drink. Alcohol drinking has become a vast problem among teens in the United States (Masten, Faden, Robert, Zucker, & Spear, 2009). The consumption of alcohol drinking among teens declined in the middle of the 1970’s but in 1993 it began to increase again. (Masten et al., 2009). By the age of 15, there has been at least one out of five who have tried alcohol and they have become heavy drinkers by the age
General, about 5,000 kids under 21 die every year as a result of underage drinking—from crashes, homicides, and suicides” (Bellenir 65). Reducing underage drinking can reduce drinking-related harm, and even though there are programs in place to help prevent these suicides, alcoholism continues to ruin the lives of underage drinkers. Alcoholics in general are walking billboards to major companies that advertise their products—especially underage drinkers that in the process make these companies wealthier
Although many teens may think its cool, underage drinking is the most common problem, when it comes to arrests and accidents. Underage drinking is a serious public health problem in the U.S. Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America’s youth, and drinking by young people poses enormous health and safety risks. The consequences of underage drinking can affect everyone-regardless of age or drinking status. The brain can develop until a person's mid-20s, according to a bulletin
and would not have the responsibility to drink. If teens drink a certain amount of alcohol it could be lethal by alcohol poisoning. “Alcohol can enter the blood stream; binge drinkers can ingest a fatal dose of alcohol before passing out.” (“Binge Drinking Can Be Fatal”). The legal minimum age should not be lowered, teens under 21 don’t have the responsibility to get intoxicated and those include car accidents, homicides, suicides, and other injuries. I’m going to tell you why minors should not drink
has negative effects on the abuser but also on the loved ones around the abuser. Other countries outside of the United States have shown to have problems related to the rate of alcohol consumption. Not only is drinking rates in other countries out of control but the rate of underage drinking is shown to be on the rise as well. The negative effects of alcohol consumption is causing human to think and do irrational things in every country around the globe. People have different views on alcohol depending
as the addiction worsens. It is the family’s responsibility to make efforts to restore the family back to normal. Everyone has to play their part if they are to be successful. Underage drinking directly affects personal finances to the teen as well as to their family, society and the justice system. Underage drinking costs the family money for the purchase of the alcohol, medical charges to the drinker or victims of accidents and treatment facilities. In addition, the parents might lose their
Should the Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 be lowered to the age of 18? After the legal voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971, 30 US states ended up lowering their MLDA to 18, 19, or 20. When the states started implementing the Minimum Legal Drinking Age, they saved approximately 20,000 lives. They also decreased the number of alcohol-related youth fatalities among drivers by 63 percent since 1982. By 1982, only 14 US states had the MLDA of 21. In 1984, all of the states that have recently
contemplating on how to go about the issue of underage drinking; people of the government, parents, and other individuals concerned in global affairs. The problem is, the issue of underage drinking and the nationwide ineffectiveness of the drinking age law of twenty-one isn't debated and discussed as much and as aggressively as it should be. And the main components of discussion ought to be the matter of binge drinking among teenagers and college students, drinking issues and statistics in foreign countries
How Underage Drinking is Affecting Teenagers in Today's Society. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism about 4,300 people under the age of 21 died annually from injuries involving underage drinking (Negative Consequences of Underage Drinking). The amount of underage drinkers in today's society is much higher than 10 years ago and is becoming an epidemic.Drinking at an early age can affects teenagers in many ways including, brain damage, high blood pressure, cancer
disregard the law, the legal drinking age in the United States is twenty-one. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “8.7 million people ages 12-20 reported drinking alcohol in the past month” (“Alcohol Facts,” 2015). Of this group, 14% binge drink, and 3.7% admit to being heavy drinkers. Underage drinking can lead to greater issues, such as drinking and driving, alcohol poisoning, and violence (“Teenage Drinking,” n.d.). Underage drinking affects not only the minor,
Underage drinking is a serious concern on a national and state level. It can have serious health, safety, and economic consequences. Therefore, the legal drinking age should remain at 21. While most people would consider alcohol to be a normal part of teen life, they are not realizing the damaging effects on society that alcohol can have. What one must look at are the myths and realities about underage alcohol abuse. Serious health, safety, and economic consequences of underage drinking on a national