The Pros And Cons Of Increasing The Drinking Age

The law that raised the drinking age happens to be very unstable. To begin with “a portion of the American public today is arguing that if a member of the U.S. military is old enough to die fighting for his or her country, then they ought to be mature enough to enjoy a beer” (“License”). An eighteen year old can die for their country, vote for politicians, and decide what they are doing with their future, but are not allowed to drink alcohol. It stands out that eighteen year olds can also obtain cigarettes that can lead to various types of cancer but cannot enjoy an alcoholic beverage. Continuing on, another reason that raising the drinking age is unjust is that binge drinking continues to occur, which is when one consumes 4 or 5 drinks in a row: “binge drinking is unchanged from its levels of 1979; that among non college women it has increased by 20 percent; and that among college women it has increased by 40 percent” (McCardell). If

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.

Everyone in today’s society knows that the minimum legal drinking age in the U.S. is 21. But nobody really knows why. In the year 1984, President Reagan informed the states that if they didn’t change their drinking age to 21, they would lose 10% of their federal funding for their highways(Why is the Drinking Age 21?). In fear of losing their funding, all the states changed their MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) to 21, instead of 18. Some people were outraged that the age had been raised, and believed that if they were 18+ whenever the law was changed, they should still be able to purchase alcohol. However, the states disagreed. There are many different opinions on the MLDA. Many people believe that it should be lowered back down to 18, while some people believe even 21 is almost too young. But what are these people’s arguments?

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

There have been arguments, more so now than before, about lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18 years of age. Realistically, to do so would be unideal. From 1609 when the first colonist arrived in Jamestown in 1919, in the United States of America there were no age restrictions on alcohol consumption or purchase. Prior to Prohibition drinking laws varied by state, and there was no national law in concerns to a drinking age. Most states had no laws establishing a legal drinking age. In 1920, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, making the sale and consumption of alcohol in the United States illegal. When Prohibition ended in 1930 the legal drinking age was 18 until 1984, when Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, it forced states to alter their age requirements to legally buy and possess alcohol. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act raised the age limit from 18 to 21 by October of 1986. If states failed to do so, they would lose 10% of their federal highway funding. The goal of the act was achieved by October 1986, which still stand until today. Yet, there are arguments over lowering the drinking age back to 18. To lower the drinking age to 18 would be a defective idea for numerous reasons. The age limit should remain at 21 because all things that can kill you must have restrictions, 18, 19, and 20 year old’s brains are not fully developed, and because it would be in the best for the public interest.

In over 100 countries across the world, the act of legally possessing and consuming alcohol is permissible below the age of 21, most often within the age range of 18-20. Nevertheless, there are many additional countries such as Spain and Haiti, which enforce a minimum age of 16 years among citizens. With the ratification of the controversial 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act, the United States federal government now requires each state to conform to the drinking age restriction of 21, or otherwise endure a penalty, encompassing a 10% reduction of federal highway transportation funds, attributed to the state in violation. Unfortunately, despite the conviction that a higher minimum drinking age prevents destructive, irrational actions conducted as a product of holding an underdeveloped brain, this federal ruling not only increases the seductive temptation of underage drinking, but additionally and equally promotes organized crime within the United States-a toxic societal conflict which would effectively be negated by a reduction of the minimum federal drinking age.

The legal drinking age should be raised to the age of 21. Raising the age to 21 will avoid drinking and driving. Drinking and driving is one of the massive reasons why there are many car accidents and road deaths. In fact, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism “Over 5,000 people die due to drinking and driving every year” ("Underage Drinking"). However, when an individual is 21 years of age or older they are considered more mature and responsible since they have a handful of responsibilities like family duties so they can create smarter and improved decisions and have the ability to identify what’s wrong and right by not drinking and driving at the same time. This way the rate of car accidents and road deaths

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.

Changing the drinking age from 18 to 21 has many drawbacks in the long term and short term. For example, drinking can lead to extreme damage to the the liver, most 18 years old are not fully developed physically and mentally, and keeping the drinking age as it is, will save lives by lowering the amount of drunk driving and accidents due to drunk driving. If you compare i non alcohol drinkers liver to compared to a healthy non-alcoholic person their liver is a lot more damaged. Drinking under age contributes a big part to deaths as argued by McCardell, “Of the total number of lives lost to alcohol by those under the age of 21, more than 60 percent are lost off the roadways. Alcohol takes a much greater toll off the highways”(McCardell). Having

The drinking age should definitely not be lowered from 21 because, drinking can lead a teenager to have many dangerous risk in their life. Such as having a drinking problem or even become a violent person in their future. Also drinking at a young age can lead to have future health problems such as pancreas damage,liver damage,and also damage the brain and the heart. Alcohol can also lead a person to depression which can make a person have suicidal thoughts. Also alcohol doesn't only damage your health, but it could also have effects on women who are pregnant and drink during the 9 months of pregnancy time, it could cause for the baby to be born with birth defects.

If the drinking age was lowered, then even more people would be medically irresponsible. For example, “[a]lcohol consumption can interfere with development of the young adult brain's frontal lobes, essential for functions such as emotional regulation, planning, and organization. Drinking alcohol at that age can cause chronical problems in the head,”(US) Changing the drinking age will screw up their heads and most likely before they even get out of high school. When start drinking at a young age it starts

Drinking under the age of twenty-one can lead to many developmental issues, alcoholism (alcohol addiction), and lowering the legal drinking age would be medically irresponsible. Lots of research shows that the human brain continues to develop well into the twenties, while it develops it establishes important communication connectors and the brain continues to refine itself. Consuming alcohol throughout this developmental period can cause very serious damage, gaps, and failure to the brains development and maturity. Alcoholism is common amongst young drinkers since adolescent bodies are busy maturing physically along with mentally. Studies show that teens are commonly more affected by alcohol than adults because the pleasure center of the brain is more responsive than the executive descion making part, which leaves teens to be more prone to addiction. Lowering the drinking age would be incredibly medically irresponsible, due to all the damage consuming alcohol before full development can cause lasting impairments. The average adolescent who engages in alcohol related activities are more likely to be violent, attempt suicide, develop alcohol dependency and have a less functioning long-term memory. Consuming alcohol can interfere with the frontal lobe, which is in charge of emotion regulation, organization, and can lead to chronic problems later

I believe that the drinking age should not be lowered from 21 to 18. I believe it shouldn’t be lowered because people at that age are not mature enough to handle alcohol. Another reason is because if some people are drinking at a lower age already, people from an even lower age would start drinking too. If they miss use alcohol it could result in severe consequences. That’s why I think the drinking age should stay the same.

In conclusion raising the drinking age to twenty five would be beneficial. Even raising the legal age by one year would make a significant difference in the statistics. It would also decrease crimes committed during intoxication of alcohol. This does not mean that the human right to drink is oppressed, it just means that while researching the benefits and facts of alcohol waiting for the brain to develop, is key in understanding fully the moral, legal, and ethical responsibility of drinking. “Negative freedom is freedom from - freedom from oppression, whether it's a colonial power or addiction to alcohol oppressing you. You need to be freed from negative freedom. Positive freedom is freedom for, freedom to be. And that's what's routinely ignored

When conducting our interviews, we have noticed that most people believe the drinking age should indeed be lowered. The broad consensus of people find the age of eighteen to be an appropriate age to begin responsibly drinking and that the drinking age should go no lower than eighteen. The reason behind why eighteen should be the drinking age is different for everyone. While large majority find that the age should correlate with the draft, some, like parents and guardians, differed, saying how your body is still not ready to consume alcohol at such an early age and it should remain at the age of twenty-one. We have even have had an individual believing there should be no drinking age and it should be the parents and their overseeing that controls