Effects Of Underage Drinking On Public Health

The minimum legal drinking age was not always twenty-one; it has fluctuated between twenty-one and eighteen over the past few decades. In the article, “Underage Drinking and the Drinking Age” by Carla T.

Every year, thousands of minors die from the use of alcohol. Many young adults abuse the drinking age policy. It is put in effect for substantial reasons, which contribute in making the safest environment for all. Drinking underage is not only illegal, but also damages one’s health tremendously. Furthermore, drinking in large amounts is extremely dangerous and can cause detrimental things to occur. There have been numerous attempts to create a law to lower the drinking age, but none have gone through. In contrast to what some people may say, the drinking age should not be lowered because it would decrease maturity, promote poor behavior, and damage reputations.

To support this, seniors who couldn’t drink until age of 21 drank less than seniors who were restricted until the age of 25. Therefore, several states had conflict on minimum legal drinking age with minorities under 25.

While alcohol may not be the most dangerous of drugs, it is harmful nonetheless. There have been many research studies done by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism that prove this to be true. Binge drinking is drinking with the purpose of getting drunk, and is the most common form of alcohol consumption while it is also the most dangerous. There have been numerous researches by other organizations and scientists that have demonstrated just how dangerous underage drinking can be. These facts cannot be denied and further the belief that underage drinking is very serious and dangerous. Not only does a person run the risk of being arrested for illegal activity, a person can also be harmed.

Today, alcohol use continues to be regarded by many people, as a normal part of

In the United States, the minimum age required to legally consume alcohol is twenty-one years, being allowed in some states for young people under the minimum drinking age to consume alcohol under specific controlled circumstances. This particular age is controversial as it does not correspond to the age of majority of 18 years embraced by 47 states, which entitles the individual to vote, get married and join the army, among other decisions inherent to adulthood. It is thus seen as contradictory to consider a young person mature enough to take decisions of this nature, but not mature enough to drink alcohol.

The minimum drinking age has been debated ever since the early 1970’s when there was no national drinking age. Depending on the state, the minimum drinking age was between the range of 18 to 21-year-olds. However, Exhibit B illustrates how the debate was quieted in 1984 during the Regan Presidency with the passing of a law that required states to prohibit people under the age of 21 to consume alcohol as a condition of receiving a portion of federal state highway funding.

Alcohol use has spanned history. In fact, there is speculation that alcohol use actually preceded the formation of societies (Doweiko, 2015, p. 30). Thus, alcohol has long been a part of mankind’s life. The function of alcohol has unarguably changed throughout the course of history, as it was first used for nutritional purposes and then later on for religious purposes (Doweiko, 2015, p. 32). Today, alcohol serves a social purpose. In the United States, the prevalence of use is quite high, with just over 50% of the population partaking monthly (Doweiko, 2015, p. 34). This statistic is somewhat alarming considering alcohol use comes with a number of potential adverse consequences. Case in point, even

There has been a large amount of research regarding underage drinking and the long-term effect that it can have on a person’s body and their mental state. The public is often informed of phases and activities that underage students are partaking in that can be extremely harmful to themselves that they are not aware of. In the journal article “The Use of Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages Among Underage Drinkers: Results of a National Survey” they examine the relationship between the tendencies underage drinkers who drink non-traditional caffeinated alcoholic beverages and traditionally caffeinated alcoholic beverages. The study defines non-traditional CABs as Pre-Mixed Sodas or Energy Drinks with Liquor added and defined traditional CABs as Liquor with soda, coffee, or tea added by the beverage consumer.

Toomey. "Effects of Minimum Drinking Age Laws: Review and Analyses of the Literature from 1960 to 2000." Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 2002. Web. 12 May 2016.

The legal drinking age in the United States has been argued for many decades. The current minimal legal drinking age is twenty-one but some want to lower between eighteen and twenty. The main focus of the research conducted and opinions of people are based on the minimal legal drinking age of eighteen. The research is taken from the 1970s, when the twenty-sixth Amendment was passed in the Constitution (Wagenaar, 206). It was stated that eighteen is the “age of majority”, so thirty-nine of the states changed their legal drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen. Because of issues with the lowered drinking age, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. This act required all states to raise the legal drinking age back to twenty-one in order receive the 10 percent federal highway funds (Carpenter and Dobkin 137). By 1990, all fifty states set their minimum legal drinking age to twenty-one. Since this time, many arguments have been raised to lower it back to eighteen. With a lower drinking age, issues for youth include health risks, easy access of alcohol, unsafe drinking environments, and the increase of fatalities.

According to the New York Times, “More than 1,800 students die every year of alcohol-related causes...600,000 are injured while drunk, and nearly 100,000 become victims of alcohol-influenced sexual assaults”(Mcmurtrie). This is the case as many students in America find happiness in the consumption of unhealthy amounts of alcohol and underage drinking. Unfortunately, these issues have been more prevalent on college campuses, where students have formed a culture of abusing alcohol. There seems to be no solution in sight as many college students fall victim to the devastating effects of alcohol abuse and underage drinking despite the legal drinking age. Regardless of the brutal effects of misusing alcohol, college students still continue to binge drink and participate in underage drinking. This leads one to wonder the cause of this destructive phenomenon. While some blame the minimum drinking age, others blame the society and the ignorance of the college students. Although these factors may contribute, in reality, college students in the U.S. tend to abuse alcohol because of their perception of alcohol and its consumption.

Poor academic results have been linked to binge drinking also. Teens that drink is more likely to get in a car with a driver who has been drinking, smoke pot, or carry a weapon. Underage drinking causes a significant role in risky sexual behavior and puts teen in a position to get STDs or any other sexual diseases.

Underage alcohol drinking can have devastating effects on teenagers. It can affect teens' grades, health and many other things as well. The reasons why teenagers consume alcohol are pretty clear. What aren’t clear are the solutions to eliminating, or at least reducing the number of underage drinkers. It is vital that we do something to at least suppress this problem. By taking action, we can greatly reduce the number of underage drinkers and it could also save not only their lives, but also someone else's life as well. Underage drinking can cause many health problems as well as educational problems in a teen’s life; therefore our country needs to decrease the number of underage drinkers by increasing both the price of alcohol as well as the legal drinking age.

Anyone who is below eighteen years of age is considered as underage and laws in many countries prohibit such a person from consuming alcohol. Alcohol happens to be the most commonly abused drug not only among the youth but also among adults. This paper explores underage drinking, its effects on the society and outlines what can be done to curb it.