Keeping The Drinking Age Essay

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.

There is controversy about whether the drinking age should be lowered, raised, or remain the same. My opinion is that the drinking age should remain the same. Teenagers still receive alcohol one way or another, and lowering the age would cause more of a problem. When the drinking age was raised to twenty-one in 1984, the amount of underage drinking dropped significantly, and still drops today. If the drinking age was raised, it would be unfair to those who are of the proper age where the maturity level is much greater than a teenager. At the age of twenty-one, the brain is far more developed than a teenager’s brain.

When people turn eighteen they are finally considered an adult. They can join the army, vote, buy cigarettes or tobacco products, get a tattoo and even die for our country. Although everyone considers that person to be an adult, they are still not old enough to buy or consume alcohol. A person can be responsible enough to live on their own, make their own money, pay their own bills, and yet they are still not considered old enough to purchase or consume any type of alcohol. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would help prevent the crime and personal injuries that are caused by alcohol abuse.

According to Alexis Aguirre in The University Star, “Keeping the minimum legal drinking age at 21 will not dissuade young people who want to indulge in reckless alcohol intake. If anything, the age limit encourages binge drinking. Lowering the drinking age could make it easier to regulate consumption among younger adults as well as encourage healthy drinking habits” (Aguirre). Sure enough, if the drinking age were lowered to 18 it would avoid the illegal, abused intake of alcohol by 18 year olds. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, “Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking” (U.S Department of Health and Human Services). A way of avoiding such tragedies is lowering the drinking age to 18, teaching younger

There always has been controversy as to should the united states lower the drinking age to 18. Eighteen year olds should have the right to drink. By lowering the drinking age to eighteen it will give people supervision, teach responsibilities, and eighteen years olds are already considered adults; however, it may cause binge drinking, it will lead to more deaths, and drinking damages brains cells and especially the body itself.

Many negative effects come with drinking alcohol. Since teenagers’ brains are not fully developed until they are in their mid 20’s, it is especially dangerous to them. The legal alcohol age should not be eighteen because it harms the teenage brain and body, it has negative (and potentially fatal) effects on school, and it has negative effects on driving.

There are statistics that alcohol consumption has lowered since 1984. Some attribute this to the fact that drinking age is set at 21, but this is not absolutely the reason because even where it is set at 18 people make their own choices of whether to drink or not. It is also evident that setting the drinking age at 21 against 18 does not eliminate teenage drinking problems; instead it just keeps them on hold until the teens get to 21 years of age. In some cases keeping the minimum drinking age at 21 encourages teens to drink more. Hence drinking age should be set at the age of 18. Here are some of the reasons why.

One major problem surrounding teens is drinking secretly. If the drinking age was set at a lower age, less teens would try to drink undercover and more at a supervised location (Favorite). The problem right now is many teen are getting too much alcohol in their bodies and poising themselves. This problem might be solved if the drinking age was lowered so teens could drink in supervised placed where a bartender could watch them. This might also make teens not afraid to call 911. Many teenager today are afraid to get help, because they do not want to get in trouble with the law. As of right now, the drinking age is like the "prohibition all over again– meaning that, even though alcohol is outlawed for people under 21, that certainly doesn’t stop them from drinking" (Doraiswamy).

The magical number in America is eighteen. This is the age when you are now seen as an adult under the eyes of the law; meaning that you will now be able to: sign up for war and be sent to a different country, vote for the future president, enter clubs ,leave home, marry someone of your choice,choose your life long career and purchase cigarettes which are proven to harm your health. Along with many privileges, there are many expectations that an eighteen year old must meet ,which means responsibility. Now as an adult, they must make every choice in their life, but they are denied the right to legally purchase alcohol. Although, many argue that at the age of eighteen, you are still a “teenager” , above are all of the facts to prove contrary

The legal drinking age has become a very controversial topic of discussion over the years and

Alcohol having a set age limit has made it more appealing to teenagers than anything else, so why not lower the drinking age? This has been a hot topic for many of decades but has started becoming more relevant in today’s social scene. Teens are still going to drink whether the law is changed or not so why go through the steps of changing it? For starters if the drinking age was reinstated at eighteen where it was for many years (in certain states). Youth would be more informed of alcohol and how making certain decisions while under the influence could alter their lives, instead of treating it as the forbidden fruit. Everything changed in 1984 when the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed and now federal law has it listed as no one under the age of 21 can buy or consume alcohol, this is where it stands today. There are numerous reasons backing why lowering the drinking age to eighteen would be both logically and socially acceptable, reasons ranging from at the age of eighteen your classified as an adult to how many countries have had lower drinking ages to eighteen or even younger and have had less issues surrounding the consumption of alcohol.

When teen-agers turn 18, they are told that they are adults and are sent into the world. They go to college, get a job, marry or join the military. They do grown-up things like vote, pay taxes and become parents. But they can't go to the pub for a beer because when it comes to liquor, they are still just kids. Where's the fairness in the 21-and-older drinking law?

     Let?s face it, no matter what laws the government enforces to cut down on underage drinking, it is commonplace and happens everywhere from grade school through high school and predominantly in college. The government is looking to stop teen drinking rather than manage it. According to Time Magazine, half the students age 10 to 24 questioned in a 1999 study by the Centers for Disease Control said they had consumed alcohol in the preceding month.

The average American begins drinking at 15 years old, despite the fact that the legal drinking age in the United States is 21 years old. Underage alcohol use is more likely to kill young people than all illicit drugs combined. I believe that raising the drinking age to 25 years old can save many young lives.

18 to 20 year olds are starting to drink now, lowering the drinking age to 18 will provide 15 to 17 year olds the opportunity to start drinking as well. The human mind does not reach complete intellectual development until between the ages 21-25. So by allowing people younger than the age of 21 to drink alcohol that would be allowing them to make poor decision that could affect their lives