Banning Alcohol From Mainstream Consumption

Everyone knows that it is illegal to consume alcohol under the age of 21. Why is 21 the "magical" age that makes a person intelligent and mature enough to consume alcohol? Sure, some adults abuse alcohol and some teenagers would be perfectly able to drink responsibly, but why not 18 or 35 or 40? This seemingly random number, 21, is associated with adulthood, as if the day a person turns 21 they know everything and are mature. The drinking age should be lowered to where one can learn to drink responsibly.

It is a tragic truth: About 10,000 lives are lost in the United States because of drunk driving each year. Alcohol is wildly known as one of the main reasons of causing social security issue. Small amount can make people feel relaxed, but bigger amount could make them loss their coordination, get feeling of confusion and disorientation, and significantly slowed their reaction time. On average, one person dies every hour because of alcoholic traffic accident in United State. Therefore, the NTSB put out a recommendation last May that the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) level for drivers should be lowered from the current level of .08% to .05%. But for several reasons, we shouldn’t lower the

According to Andrew Herman, “Each year, 14,000 die from drinking too much. 600,000 are victims of alcohol related physical assault and 17,000 are a result of drunken driving deaths, many being innocent bystanders” (470). These massive numbers bring about an important realization: alcohol is a huge issue in America today. Although the problem is evident in Americans of all ages, the biggest issue is present in young adults and teens. In fact, teens begin to feel the effects of alcohol twice as fast as adults and are more likely to participate in “binge-drinking” (Sullivan 473). The problem is evident, but the solution may be simple. Although opponents argue lowering the drinking age could make alcohol available to some teens not

Marcus Tullius Cicero once said, “The good of the people is the greatest law” meaning that the people make up the laws that will benefit for everybody for the better. Prohibition was a time where America had to make alcohol illegal for the sake of the country. Almost everyone in the country agreed to this law since it was causing problems at homes. But as time went on, Prohibition was starting to cause more problems to the country and the people itself. So, what caused America to abolish Prohibition? Even though America favored Prohibition at first, it was proved ineffective because of a rise of criminal activity and a lack of enforcement.

“What we’re doing now to prevent underage drinking isn’t working; it’s time to try something else.” Although many people argue that the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1964, which lowed the drinking age from eighteen to twenty one, was a good idea. David J Hanson a professor in the State University of New York believed that something needs to be done to make the United States a safer place to live. Is it fair that people in the United States can serve in the military, vote in elections, serve in juries, get married, and enter into legal contracts at the age of eighteen, but not buy alcohol until they are twenty one years of age. Lowering the drinking age in the United States to eighteen will help young adults be more responsible, and

The United States drinking age throughout all 50 states has been the same since 1984 when a law was put in place by the U.S. Congress punishing all states who did not abide by the legal age limit of 21. Since this law was put into place, it has become one of the most widely studied laws in history. While there are many arguments and new bills being created to reduce this age, especially among college universities, all have failed to become law. Over half of adults agree that lowering the drinking age would increase binge drinking among teens, and 72% believe that it would make alcohol more accessible

When people turn to the age of eighteen, they are finally considered an adult. They can join the army, have the right to vote, buy cigarettes or tobacco products, get a tattoo and even die for our country, but they aren’t allowed to buy alcohol? A person can be responsible enough to live on his or her own, make money, pay bills, and yet they are not old enough to purchase or consume any type of alcohol. Underage drinking has been a major controversial issue for years. Teenagers are continuing to buy alcohol with fake identification cards, drink, get into bars, and drink illegally. As being a teenager, these things are going on not only in college, but also in high school. There are a lot of factors as to

When people think of drinking, they think of fun games and parties. However, this depiction is wrong. When individuals under twenty-one drink, consequences emerge. In the United States, the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) is twenty-one. According to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), the legal drinking age set at twenty-one saves about 900 lives on the road annually (James C. Fell). By having the drinking age at twenty-one, the amount of alcohol consumed decreases. Less drinking results in a drop in potential risks and dangerous acts often associated with alcohol. Individuals under the age of twenty-one are not mature enough to make good choices. Therefore,

As much as the people criticize the internet there are some importance to it being here today. The internet allows people to stay in contact with others, social media is one of the distractions that the internet provides us with but it does help keep in touch with family members we don’t see every day. It allows us to know what’s happening in the world, for example the news about the chemical bombs that were hit in Syria. The internet provides information to the brain at a faster rate than what a newspaper would do.

Studies show that keeping the drinking age at twenty-one improves lives. When the United States raised the age limit to twenty-one in 1985, a shortage of drinking occurred at a whopping 40% by 1991. As a result, fewer students drop out of high school, less motor accidents occur, and suicides rates dropped significantly. However, lowering the drinking age to eighteen will bring serious consequences on young adults by reversing these statistics. Lowering the drinking age will cause significant health problems, draw youth to poor judgment situations, before they are even old enough to handle the responsibility of drinking.

The Globe and Mail’s article, “Why Canada needs a new alcohol strategy,” discusses the imposing threat alcohol has on Canadians. Marijuana and its harmful effect continue to be the topic of discussion amongst Canadians when in fact alcohol attracts the largest number of youth. Alcohol is a harmful substance that poses a greater threat to young Canadians than the likes of marijuana, prescription drugs and cigarettes. According to a 2012-13 Health Canada survey, 41 percent of grade 7 to grade 12 students said they drank alcohol at least once in the previous year, compared with 19 per cent who had tried marijuana and 13 per cent who had smoked a cigarette. Of the students who drank, 30 per cent had binged. Binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks at a single sitting. There are many risks alcohol poses, but the major ones include, drunk driving, increased risk of alcoholism, learning and memory impairment, sexual assault/abuse and suicide. Adults are drinking harmful amounts of alcohol, putting them at high risks of health. According to stats Canada, nearly 20 per cent of Canadians are heavy drinkers. One in four Canadians exceeds national safety drinking guidelines. Many Canadians don’t realize we drink unsafe amounts of alcohol and its increasing chances of harm that comes with it. Majority of Canada’s citizens don’t realize there is a drinking guideline. Most cases regarding alcohol are turned a blind eye and only receive attention in the media when there is a

Winston Churchill was infamous for his one liners and occasional drunken outbursts. One night at a party, he shocked a rather prominent woman with his drunken atrocities. Insulted, she turned to him and said, “Mr. Churchill, you are as drunk as a dog.” The Prime Minister returned, “Madam, I may be very drunk, but you are very ugly. But tomorrow,” he added, “I shall be sober” (Churchill, W). The use and abuse of alcohol is a centuries old vice that has circumnavigated the globe and all eras of humanity; young and old, man and woman. Alcohol is an inhibitor of logical thought. However, it is an enjoyable pastime as well as custom in almost every society as long as it is used within reason. Recently however, laws have been placed in many nations restricting drinking to only certain age groups. In America, the legal age to purchase and consume alcohol has fluxuated between 18 and 21, coming to rest at 21 in 1984. (CITE) This law is understandably strict, but also somewhat toying with a person 's free abilities. Aggravating the threat of binge-drinking and alcohol poisoning, this exceptionally high age limit has promoted more hindrances than benefits. Currently a great debate among lawmakers is whether the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) should be lowered to 18; mirroring other nations in their practices. A lower limit would be exceptionally beneficial and fair legally, health-wise, and economically towards not only young adults, but society

From time to time those that have come before us such as our moms, dads, and grandparents will reminisce on the good old days. A time when there was no Internet so one had to read the newspaper for updates, write rather than type during class, go to the library for research, knock for a friend, use snail mail, etc. For me such thoughts have made the understanding of the phrase, “the good old days” quite blurred. The fact is the so-called “good old days” was a time that seems astronomically different, slow paced, and quite frankly dull compared to today. That is, since I can remember the Internet has always been apart of my life, practically advancing its growth as I have grown. The Internet has revolutionized today’s society changing our

Although I understand many of opponents’ arguments, I support the legalization of marijuana. For almost 20 years I lived in Iran, where alcohol consumption is prohibited; however, banning alcohol couldn’t impede citizens from drinking. Instead, alcohol prohibition by the Iranian government has been a failure on all counts. Prohibition encouraged people to disrespect the law as an intruder to their personal spaces, instead of being reliable and respectful. Because alcohol consumption is a crime, the government cannot regulate its purity. While ethanol, found in fermenting fruit, is safe, methanol, which is wood alcohol, is toxic. Methanol poisoning accounts for a considerable number of deaths minors in Iran. Prohibition in Iran has drastically

When people think about alcohol, they think about a strong colorless volatile flammable liquid that is the intoxicating constituent of wine, beer, spirits, and other drinks. I strongly oppose the use of this beverage because this can be a very dangerous beverage to teenagers and adults. Alcohol has caused a lot of problems in the economy, and if people continue to misuse alcohol the number of deaths from alcohol will increase instead of decreasing. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics in 2011, the amount of 9,878 people died in drunk driving crashes, one every 53 minutes. Alcohol should be banned because alcohol is a really dangerous beverage which has brought a lot of sorrow and tragic stories