Drinking Age To 18

Some argument for lowering the drinking age claim that alcohol is more enticing to youths when they can’t have it, and if the legal age was lowered there would be less underage drinking problems. Studies and history have proven this wrong (Fell, James: Debating Reform). Before the drinking age was raised in the U.S. there was a larger underage drinking problem, and over twice as many fatal alcohol related accidents as today.

It has been a rising issue within the past century to have the drinking age set at 21, but many people are more in favor of having the age set at 18. For instance, “’Raising the drinking age to 21 was passed with the very best of intentions, but it’s had the very worst of outcomes,’ stated by David J. Hanson, an alcohol policy expert” (Johnson). Many people believe that having the drinking age set at 21 was a smart idea, but it has caused many more deaths and injuries over the years. Most of these fatalities are cause from people who are underage and choose to consume alcohol. Again, “Libertarian groups and some conservative economic foundations, seeing the age limits as having been extorted by Washington, have long championed lowering the drinking age” (Johnson). These groups see that keeping the drinking age set at 21 is dangerous as it causes more problems to the Untied States. If the drinking age was lowered, or set at 18, there would not be such unforgiving outcomes, like deaths and lifelong injuries, which are usually caused from people who are under the age of 21 drinking alcohol. Although there are numerous groups that are fighting to keep the age

Lowering the drinking age to 18 would make a lot of sense in the world. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would make more sense. It would be better for the teens that drink on college campus. The drinking age should be lowered to 18 because you can vote at eighteen, buy tobacco, it’ll reduce the thrill of breaking the law, evidence supports that early introduction of drinking is the safest way to reduce juvenile alcohol abuse, and college people that are not 21 drink also.

Drinking age should be lowered, and I know that by lowering it we can drop the percentage of reckless teen alcohol abusers. It is worth trying it , and if everything goes the opposite then change the law once more which is done lots of times, for dumb reasons and raise the drinking age back to twenty-one. Changes are always good most of the times, and I know this one in particular is an excellent

If young adults under 21 are allowed to drink, then the revenues for businesses would intentionally increase. For businesses, it would be great for the law to lower the drinking age because it would increase their profits of young adults under 21 purchasing alcohol. Researchers found that if the drinking age lowers, industries are likely to make a huge amount of profit (Science Daily). According to Science Daily, more people to consume alcohol will likely increase the amount of money in the industries. In this context, the more the

A large portion of the youth in America have been lead to believe that having the drinking age lowered would save lives and reduce heavy drinking, but this reasoning does not hold up. I applaud the efforts of my opposition to try and create safer drinking environments, reduce binge drinking, and save lives, but lowering the drinking age to 18 is not an effective way to accomplish those goals.

A college freshman walked into his new living quarters on the third floor of the on-campus dormitory to witness his first wild back-to-school college party. Students strolled through each other’s open doorways with red plastic cups in hand. Music blared, a drink was spilled, laughter echoed off the walls, and the young man was offered an alcoholic drink. The young man was encouraged by his new peers to drink, and so he did. But the college freshman was not yet 21 and therefore agreed to many risks by taking that first sip. In my opinion, the drinking age in America should not be lowered. There are too many risks involved in underage intoxication to pass a law promoting drinking at a younger age.

California Passed the drinking age act in 1984 for all consumers of alcohol had to be 21 years of age to buy and consume. Was this a good idea? Is this making young teens stay away from alcohol, and making our cities safe? Age limit should be lowered to 18 years of age because there should be no reason why try to keep teens away from something that they are going to get one way or another. Many teens get alcohol from older siblings, seeing parents, and being influenced by other friends at school or outside just to fit in or become popular at school. Teenagers are more likely to get alcohol no matter what age they are if they want to get it they’re going to get it. Not only can alcohol hurt them without knowing the responsibilities that comes to drinking and how much to consume or when to stop. Germany’s laws allow 14 year olds to consume wine, and beer, with the supervision of parents and show them how alcohol is taken and how it’s consumed in a responsible way. Other countries have shown that lowering the age limit to consuming alcohol has better their economy, and as well having less car accidents due to drunk drivers. As well, many Countries around the world allow young teens to get married without knowing what’s the risk of getting married and what responsibilities it comes with but not drink alcohol because it’s dangerous and harm. The goal is not to take alcohol away from teenagers, but to show them to become responsible when consuming alcohol,

It may seem counterintuitive, but lowering the age will make kids safer. It’s like the old days of prohibition. From the suburbs, to college campuses, to inner cities kids find ways to get around to 21 year old limit. It’s so widespread it's the norm. This law has been an abysmal failure, it hasn't reduced or eliminated drinking. It has simply driven it underground, behind closed doors into the most risky and least manageable of settings. Like basements, fraternity houses, and locked dorm rooms, where kids go to hide from the law and from adults including parents who might teach them some moderation. The law has created a dangerous culture of irresponsible and reckless behavior. Unsupervised binge and extreme drinking. Kids try to perfect the art of getting drunk as fast as possible by playing drinking games, and pre gaming- downing as much

Around the world the legal drinking age varies; Italy and Australia its sixteen, Jamaica there isn’t a legal drinking age, but in the United States its 21. There are many controversial opinions on the topic, one of the most common thoughts about the legal drinking age is to lower it because hey, everybody is doing it anyway, right? What’s the big fuss? Its just alcohol! Is lowering the drinking age really the best idea? Just because everyone “everybody else is doing it”? No, the legal drinking age should not be lowered because consuming alcohol under the age of twenty-one impairs brain function, maturity occurs closer to the legal drinking age, and the legal drinking age of twenty-one has drastically reduced the amount of traffic accidents

When teens turn 18 they deserve all the rights that come with being an adult, lowering the drinking age will not only cause teens to become more responsible it will also reduce drunk driving accidents as seen in other countries who have already implemented this law.

Why not change it then? You are an adult at 18, why be told you can’t have personal freedom? Raising the drinking age to 21 may have some minor succusses, like getting fewer young people to drink, but lowering it to 18 could promote better drinking

Alcohol leads to other drugs and substance abuse, too. If the drinking age were to lower to eighteen, this would not change the actions of young partiers. “Alcohol should be forbidden to 18- to 20-year-olds precisely because they have a propensity to binge drink whether the stuff is illegal or not—especially males” (Main). Drinking alcohol usually leads to other illegal substances. “Youths who report drinking prior to the age of 15 are more likely to develop substance abuse problems, to engage in risky sexual behavior, and to experience other negative consequences in comparison to those who begin at a later time” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

The final reason that the age limit for alcohol consumption should be lowered is because their is virtually no difference between an eighteen year old and a twenty-one year old. The only thing a twenty-one year old can do that an eighteen year old cannot do is drink and purchase alcohol. What significant changes are made when you turn twenty-one? There are also many people under twenty-one that consume alcohol regardless of the law. Research shows that the number of drinking and driving infractions is the same between people over twenty-one years old as in people under the age of twenty-one. If the issue is drinking and driving then we need to change or enforce driving laws instead of drinking laws. People definitely need to assume responsibility

I knew there was bound to be others who felt that the drinking age limit should be lowered, so I searched high and low. My pursuits and research for enlightenment lead me to the works of Professor Ruth C. Engs from the state of Indiana. Immediately as I read through her research, I realized that I shared the same views as professor Engs, that it would be better to lower the legal drinking age. She seemed to be the only doctor/professor I could find who had come to this conclusion through research, for this topic. Professor Engs conducted research for why she thought the drinking age limit should be lowered to eighteen. She researched at Indiana University, located in Bloomington, Indiana for over twenty years. She says, “Although the legal purchase age is twenty-one years of age, a majority of college students under this age consume alcohol but in an irresponsible manner. This is because drinking by these youth is seen as an enticing ‘forbidden fruit’, a ‘badge of rebellion against authority’ and a symbol of adulthood”. Prohibition of alcohol for young people under the age of twenty-one is not working. Professor Engs said, in her research,