The Dangers Of Lowering The Legal Drinking Age

A lower drinking age law would save even more lives and also stop minors from drinking under the limit. Having it higher will result in more traffic injuries and fatalities among youth. A lower drinking age is effective in preventing alcohol-related deaths and injuries among youth. Young people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of heavy drinking age. According to John McCardell, founder of Choose Responsibility, the legal drinking age does not eliminate consumption among young people. Instead, it only drives underage drinking underground, creating a dangerous culture of irresponsible and extreme drinking. Although the legal purchase age is 21 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."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. “For example, 22% of all students under 21 compared to 18% over 21 years of age are heavy drinkers.” “Among drinkers only, 32% of underage compared to 24% of legal age are heavy drinkers.”

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

Stating that drinking at a younger age causes more health hazards proves that having the drinking age higher would be safer for oneself and the community as a whole. In addition, younger adults could easily become exposed to alcoholism. It is stated by the National Highway Institute in a study done on alcohol abuse among teens that “the overall risk for alcoholism decreases 14 percent with each year of age that drinking is postponed” (Boulard 52). The drinking age should not be lowered because the higher the drinking age, the less risk there is for alcoholism. Not only does drinking cause health related problems, but it also produces risks of injury or death. It has been proven that “youth alcohol use contributes to higher incidences of drunk driving, traffic accidents, unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)…” (“Update: Alcohol Issues” 1-2). Not only is underage drinking illegal, but drinking and driving is as well. Therefore, maintaining the drinking age would prevent the number of accidents and deaths. However, some believe that drinking wine is good for the heart. This is only true for drinking in moderation. If one drinks more than a couple of glasses, this does not go into effect, and the number of bad health related consequences outnumbers the good. Studies have shown that “The lower death rate among moderate drinkers is due to the reduction in heart disease, specifically atherosclerosis or

Prohibition was a time in American history where any type of alcohol consumption, production, and distribution was banned. The thirteen-year, dry period finally came to an end because of the temptation and social urges alcohol presents. Throughout these thirteen years, people corruptly consumed, produced, and distributed alcohol as if the regulations instituted by the government were suggestions. Speakeasies would be held underground where drinkers would distribute gin they produced in their own bathtubs and have parties without law enforcement knowing (“Prohibition”). After the Prohibition laws were lifted in 1933 to create more revenue to aid the failing economy during the Great Depression, the drinking age was set at 21 but was later lowered

Realistically, teenagers are going to drink no matter what. The minimum drinking age debate in America seems to primarily revolve around one issue: drunk driving. The increased minimum drinking age does not solve the problem of drunk driving in any real way, it just shifts drunk driving deaths into a slightly older age group. Additionally, because teenagers are afraid of getting caught drinking, many end up drinking large amounts of alcohol in short

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

The actions being taken are creating sobriety checkpoints, ignition interlocks, mass media campaigns, car services, school-based instructional programs, and the upcoming innovations in self-driving cars. Sobriety checkpoints can help in a major way because they can prevent drunk driving accidents from occurring and it can also lead people to not drink or take a car service. Ignition interlocks can also be a big help because if the person in the driver’s seat has over a certain BAC then the car won’t start. Mass media campaigns also work because they show the consequences of driving drunk and the possibilities that can happen. I remember seeing mass media campaign commercials of people who drove drunk and killed someone and they ended up being jailed for years. This strongly advised me at a young age to not drive drunk when I get to the legal age of consumption. School programs can also solve this issue because it can give the students an emotional and first hand experience that will strongly advise them to not drink and drive. The thing that I think contributes most in the area that I live, to prevent drunk driving, is “Uber” and “Lyft.” Most of the time people know if they’re going to go out and drink, and if you plan to take an “Uber” or “Lyft” then you can go out and drink without having to drive home. These car services are also extremely easy to use because you can get a ride with the click of a button. With all these alternatives to drunk driving, this is a perfect time to lower the drinking age. I would lower it even further than 18, but the main reason why I didn’t decide to make it lower is because of brain development in young teenagers. These are the main reasons why the drinking age should be lowered to age 18. If people still decide to drive drunk with all these alternatives, then they’re just “stupid”, and people

Studies suggest that if the legal drinking age was lowered, then young adults would go about drinking safer due to it taking away the thrill of breaking the law. Binge drinking is often done at parties, but with the drinking age being lowered, parties would not be stopped. However, they would be more controlled. Lowering the drinking age would lead to young adults drinking in moderation (“Post Letter” 1). Main stated that before the drinking age was raised the drinking and driving rate among young adults skyrocketed (Main). Now with the increased awareness about drinking and driving that young adults are shown, studies have proven that the amount of people drinking and driving has decreased (“Why Colleges”

A very controversial argument amongst Americans is determining that the current legal drinking age which is 21 should be lowered to eighteen or not. Researching the following propaganda made me understand the dangers to the youth and people in America if the drinking age were to lower. Therefore i will argue with whoever disagrees with me that the drinking age should be lowered.

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.

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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Report has shown that raising the drinking age reduced alcohol related teen traffic accident statistics and brought a 13 percent decrease in fatal traffic accidents for all ages. Additional studies have shown that denying alcohol to teenagers also causes a decrease in cigarette smoking and the use of other drugs. It's not a statistic popular with a lot of people, but nonetheless, it's been proven.Other laws have been passed

In the United States. Every state has the right to set its own legal drinking age. However, according to George Will in an article he wrote in the Washington Post about the legal drinking age, “drinking age paradox” “lowering the drinking age will cost the state ten percent of its federal highway funds and cause a significant uproar from contractors and construction unions.” It is therefore in the best interest of every citizen as well as the state not to lower the legal drinking age, to prevent States funding from the negative affected if the legal drinking age is lowered (The Chilgren 's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2015).

The drinking age should be lowered because the current age has no real basis. With a lowered drinking age, fewer problems will be present. Safe drinking needs to be taught, along with drinking in moderation. All of the arguments for having a raised drinking level or retaining the current one are weak. The problems that make a drinking age limit necessary are better solved through a lowered drinking level.

While people want to lower the drinking age, they are right not doing so because this could cause more car accidents. In an article titled Study: Lowering The Drinking Age Increases Car Crashes Among Youth by Join Together Staff, the author states “Several studies in the United States have shown significant reductions in alcohol-related traffic crashes since the Uniform Drinking