The second reason the drinking age shouldn’t be lowered is because of alcohol associated violent behavior. Alcohol has been reported to be involved in “36 percent of homicides, 12 percent of male suicides, and 8 percent of female suicides involving people under 21—a total of about 1,500 homicides and 300 suicides in 2000”(Bonnie, O’Connell). These statistics alone show that alcohol is aiding in the deaths of many individuals. Because of the exaggerated effects that alcohol has on an eighteen year old, destructive behavior is also exaggerated. Most arguments and fights occur when intoxicated. According to the national Institutes of Health, “Individuals under the age of 21 commit 45 percent of rapes, 44 percent of robberies, and 37 percent
There are several controversies in the world today, but one that really catches my attention is on the topic of whether or not the drinking age in the United States should be lowered from 21 to 18. Many people have debated about this topic for several years, and there are several different opinions on this topic. Some people think it is dangerous to lower the drinking age; some people support it. Some children think it is stupid to lower the drinking age; some children support it. However, I strongly believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered from 21 to 18 for several reasons, such as 18 year olds are allowed to do several other adult activities, other countries have the legal age at 21, and people who are under the age of 18 are still going to drink alcohol whether it is illegal or not.
In the United States a large topic of discussion is the drinking age, should it stay at 21 or should the age be dropped. Somewhat recently the age has been changed from 18 to 21 and a lot of people want to be changed back. By 1988, all 50 U.S. states and the federal government had set the drinking age at 21 years of age, but is it time to lower the MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) to 18 years of age? Those who argue against lowering the MLDA claim that teens have yet to reach an age of maturity in which they can responsibly drink alcohol, and thus are more likely to develop binge drinking habits and endangerment of themselves and others by drinking prior to the age of 21. Those in favor of lowering the MLDA argue that the current MLDA doesn’t stop underage drinking and promotes binge drinking into private less controlled environments. Not only this, but lowering the MLDA strengthens the economy and can gradually expose people to drinking without overdoing it.
I believe that the drinking age should be lowered to the age of 18. I took this stance in my health class debate last year and it was a success. There are many reasons why the drinking age should be lowered that I will discuss in this paper. These reasons are very convincing and should be considered by the government. I will also look into what action is being taken on decreasing the yearly amount of DUI’s.
In the United States, the legal age of drinking is 21. Drinking is huge everywhere you go, some people do it for fun and celebration and some other people do it because they are stressed and need to release stress. Most people in the United States like young people binge drink when I mean “young” I mean like 18 years old young. At the age 18 many people are heading to college or just graduating high school and younger adults look forward on that beer being handed to them. When the young adults are out of high school they want to celebrate freely and just have fun and drink a beer, but guess what they can’t because they are considered underage, and they can’t buy their own beer. And banning the sale of alcohol to people under 21 is certain to encourage binge drinking. So should the legal drinking age be lowered? It can have many pros and cons on this situation. The legal drinking age should be lowered. We should lower the drinking age because it would decrease binge drinking, 18 is the legal age of adulthood, and lastly it is an enjoyable activity and is a freedom everyone should have.
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.
I don't believe that youngsters have the obligation or capacity to handle drinking while attempting to grow up and adapting new things all in the meantime. Would you have the capacity to handle everything? I feel that bringing down the base drinking age will impact more strategic alcoholism and more youngsters to misuse liquor. Bringing down the drinking age might likewise prompt more motor vehicle accidents among teenagers. If the drinking age is left where its at, then there may be less deadly mishaps than if United States brought down the Minimum Legal Drinking Age to 18. The writer of the essay, " Redefining the Problem Won't Make it Go Away", Linda Chavez, believes that, the drinking age should be left as it is, because he thinks that lowering drinking age is not a solution. Chavez say's, " Lowering the drinking age to eighteen won't solve these problems and would likely make them worse."(334). Moreover, the fact suggest that, in the 1970's 30 states brought down the drinking age, on the other hand it didn't keep going long. On the
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
The drinking age in America should be lowered from 21 to 18. At 18, someone in America is legally considered an adult, and they can indulge in things that are potentially far more harmful than alcohol. Under certain circumstances, alcohol has already been permitted for people under the age of 21. Furthermore, the drinking age of 21 is ineffective because people between the ages of 18 to 21 are still drinking regardless. However, this drinking often takes the shape of dangerous binge drinking. Many college deans, who have first-hand knowledge of how ineffective the current drinking age is, are in support of a lower drinking age. Reckless alcohol behavior of uneducated underage drinkers also leads to drunk driving, instead of confiding in
In conclusion, the minimum drinking age should be lowered to the age of eighteen. The legal drinking age of twenty-one has not been effective and has not been fully enforced to stop underage drinking. With this in mind, lowering the drinking age will now allow underage drinkers to drink legally. At the age of eighteen the law claims to have many rights and privileges such as purchasing cigarettes, buying property, marriage, voting, and enlisting in the military but they are not able to consume and purchase alcohol. Young adults should be allowed to make their own decisions and the consumption of alcohol should be one of them. Not only will these young adults be able to drink legally, but also they will be more supervised. They are afraid of
The national drinking age in the United States has been 21 years old since 1984. Most people support the law, but what are the real consequences if the minimum drinking age is lowered? In Henry Wechsler’s article called “Will Increasing Alcohol Availability by Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Decrease Drinking and Related Consequences Among Youths?”, shows both sides of the argument about whether the legal drinking age should be lowered.
The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) in all 50 states is set at 21, but the question is if it should remain the same or should it be lowered. As said on the background information on ProCon.org many people who are for lowing the MLDA says setting it to 21 “pushes underage binge drinking into private and less controlled environments which leads to more life thearenting behaviors. People who oppose lowering the MLDA says that teens are not responsible enough to handle alcohol and can bring harm to themselves. In the beginning states we allowed to set there own alcohol consumption laws but in 1976 the US Supreme Court said the difference of age violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Following in the Path of Other Countries: Why the U.S. Should Lower the Legal Drinking Age
Lowering the minimum legal drinking age may have many beneficial outcomes within social lives of society. People drinking alcohol for a number of reasons: peer pressure, celebrations, anxiety, boredom, rebellion, and so on. As agreed by many, the legal drinking age of 21 is set for many accurate reasons, but lowering the legal drinking age will resolve rather than create common under age drinking issues, resulting in a positive outcome on social wellness. By connecting with other cultures who have a positive outlook on having a lower legal drinking age, it will give our society a whole new perspective to influence a change. Whether it be increased supervision amongst young drinkers, more responsible drinking habits, or a lower interest in teenage
The legal drinking age has been 21 for more than 30 years. However, it is still frequently debated whether 21 should remain the legal age to consume alcohol, or whether it should be changed to 18. The legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 for many reasons. One of these reasons is that even though it is widely argued that alcohol consumption damages development of the frontal lobe at age 18, this part of the brain can be still be damaged at age 21 just as easily. Another reason is that legalization of alcohol at age 18 would cause drinking to have less of a thrilling appeal to teens. Lastly, it is absurd that 18 year old adults can make life changing decisions, but cannot drink alcohol. I am not advocating a lowered drinking age for own personal enjoyment. It just seems logical.
From 2006 to 2010, over eighty eight thousand deaths were caused from underage drinking.. imagine , It's five am. and you get a call from your daughter’s best friend you can't say a word as you sit and listen to the horror of the accident. Your daughter who was out all night drinking at parties with her friends did not wake up. She was poisoned from the excessive amount of alcohol she had consumed that night and fell asleep, unable to wake up this morning. You thought she was going over to her friends for a sleepover not to get a call the next day saying she died. The legal drinking age should not be lowered from twenty one because young teens would have easier access to alcohol, an increase in binge drinking, and injuries and deaths caused