Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age

In 1984 Ronald Reagan proposed a new law that declared that the legal drinking age must raised up to 21 instead of the age of 18. The law was forced upon the states by threatening them by stating that the government will reduce their highway funding until the states passed the law. Of course all the states eventually change their legal drinking age to 21. Some critics believe that this law’s results have been very successful, however the law possesses many insecurities, but certain programs can be arranged to help educate teenagers on alcohol.

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.

It has been a rising issue within the past century to have the drinking age set at 21, but many people are more in favor of having the age set at 18. For instance, “’Raising the drinking age to 21 was passed with the very best of intentions, but it’s had the very worst of outcomes,’ stated by David J. Hanson, an alcohol policy expert” (Johnson). Many people believe that having the drinking age set at 21 was a smart idea, but it has caused many more deaths and injuries over the years. Most of these fatalities are cause from people who are underage and choose to consume alcohol. Again, “Libertarian groups and some conservative economic foundations, seeing the age limits as having been extorted by Washington, have long championed lowering the drinking age” (Johnson). These groups see that keeping the drinking age set at 21 is dangerous as it causes more problems to the Untied States. If the drinking age was lowered, or set at 18, there would not be such unforgiving outcomes, like deaths and lifelong injuries, which are usually caused from people who are under the age of 21 drinking alcohol. Although there are numerous groups that are fighting to keep the age

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.

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.

The human body does not fully develop, both physically and mentally, until a person is in their early twenties. Several research organizations, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, have found that, “Excessive alcohol abuse can lead to permanent brain damage while negatively affecting a person’s memory, motor skills, and test-taking abilities,” (Minimum Drinking Age). Since alcohol has such drastic effects on the human body and its ability to function properly, we cannot allow teenager full access to it under any circumstance. Supporters of the 21-and-over drinking age are quick to get behind research that has discovered, “Alcohol use could severely damage teenagers more-sensitive livers,” (Minimum Drinking Age). I think teenagers need to have a better understanding of what they are putting in their bodies, especially if they are ingesting alcohol. If they don’t understand what the harmful ingredients and chemicals in alcohol can do to them, they could end up with serious health problems. The United States has been debating this topic for such a long time that we have lost sight of what is truly important: the safety of the younger generation and how we can maintain

Over the years, there have been debates about lowering the drinking age in the United States to eighteen. People argue that if a person can fight in the military or vote in elections, then he or she should be allowed the right to drink alcohol. Others feel that it is not wise to lower the legal drinking age because the results would be dangerous. Alcohol is a substance that is extremely destructive and if it is used incorrectly or immaturely the consequences can be dangerous to the users and the ones around them. Underage drinking, specifically under the age of twenty-one, should not be allowed in the United States because it is dangerous. Although there are arguments for lowering

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

Some people may argue that it shouldn’t be decreased because young brains keep growing until age 22, and if those brains are exposed to alcohol before 22, it could lead to greater health problems later in life. Most can agree that many teenagers are impetuous, brash, are sometimes reckless, and that’s why the drinking age shouldn’t be reduced. Although, most young adults have had alcohol before turning 22, even with complying with the legal drinking age. It’s easy to see why the drinking age shouldn’t be reduced like with an MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) of 21 there are fewer traffic accidents and fatalities according to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). A possible concern is that if the MLDA is decreased, then 16 and 17 year olds might find that since the age is reduced, then they can start drinking and won’t be caught, but there is the inevitable that underage teenagers will drink as stated by a 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 68% of 12th graders claimed that they had tried alcohol. Admittedly, there is always no guarantee that reducing the drinking age will help diminish underage

Every year thousands of students move into college dorms expecting to start their adult life. These students have every right that all adults have, except the right to consume alcohol. Currently in the United States, the legal age for consumption of alcohol is 21, which is three years senior to the other rights of adults. At eighteen years old an adult can serve in the military, rent an apartment, become legally married, sign contracts, vote, and even use tobacco based products, but they are not allowed to drink. At this age many feel the need to assert their adult age, because they logically cannot understand why they can serve but not be served. This law entices young adults to binge drink, use drugs, and engage in risky behaviors. For these reasons in personal opinion, the drinking age should be lowered to eighteen years of age.

To me, once you hit the age of 18 you should be able to make your own decisions on if you want to drink or not. It’s the age where we get our license, the age where we can buy cigarettes and its also the age where we move out on our own. So why can’t we drink or buy alcohol? Most people know

Over the years the legal drinking in the United States has been heavily debated. Some people argue that the legal age to drink should be 18 or 19 because people at that age are recognized as adults; while others argue that the drinking age should be 21 because people who are able to drink should be more mature and have their lives better planned out. Although people are legally adults at 18, they are not yet mature adults; in fact, according to NRP “emerging science about brain development suggests that most people don't reach full maturity until the age 25” (“Brain”). Before earning the right to legally drink, people should allow their bodies to fully developed and have a better knowledge of how to organize their lives. The drinking age should remain at 21 because if teens were allowed to drink, they could do harm to their underdeveloped bodies, the progress of decreasing the number of teenage and underage drinkers would be lost, the number of car accidents would increase, and teens would be more likely to experiment with other toxic drugs. By merely keeping the legal drinking age at 21, hundreds of lives would be saved.

The issues that arise with this course of action include several components. Firstly, raising the drinking age would cause a greater number of adolescents and young adults to drink impulsively due to the psychological reactance theory. Secondly, this would cause hysteria in society considering that there is already a set precedent of the drinking age being 21 years old, which is considerably high in comparison to other countries. Furthermore, this would create an even larger gap between the age a citizen can join the military and legally buy a drink. There is already a three year gap in between when you are legally allowed to risk your life for your country and when you are legally allowed to purchase alcohol; if the legal minimum drinking age was raised to the age of when the brain is fully matured, the gap would increase to 6 to 7 years. Moreover, the increase in the drinking age would cause businesses like bars, liquor stores, and clubs to lose profit since their customer pool would be considerably smaller. Additionally, if these young people are told that they have to wait even longer to be able to purchase alcohol or if their right is revoked after already knowing the freedom of being of age, then this would force drinking to go even further underground creating multitudes of unsafe drinking environments.

Many people can relate to the fact that some restrictions are for the greater good. Relatively, the drinking age is one restriction that should stand firm. Drinking alcohol, like tobacco, voting and choosing to enter the military is a privilege in the United States. One of biggest arguments of this generation that never seems to cease, is the argument over the drinking age laws of the United States. Some people argue that the drinking age should be lowered because if the right to marry, smoke, and enlist in the United States military are legal at eighteen, then the right to drink alcoholic beverages should also be legal at eighteen. In the United States of America, the minimum drinking age is twenty-one, meaning anyone under twenty-one who has consumed and/or is in possession of alcohol can be charged. Data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that underage drinking accounts for 4,358 deaths every year, not excluding homicides, suicides, alcohol poisoning, falls, and burns, and motor vehicle incidents (CDC). Alcohol can negatively affect young adults, more than often not. Alcohol has the ability to cloud judgement and impair individuals involuntarily. These involuntary actions can lead to life changing accidents that can ruin lives. For these reasons, the purpose behind the alcohol drinking age laws in the United States is totally logical and should remain unchanged.

John McCardell proposes a compromise to the consuming age. Think concerning when you take drivers education. You don’t cross out of being clueless about getting your license as well as riding alone. If you did force out of doors the policies, you would certainly lose the privilege of a driving force’s license. The equal issue might be carried out with the privilege of ingesting. As Sarah Baldauf certainly explains, “decriminalizing drinking via youngsters 18 and older…will convey their alcohol intake out from hiding to wherein parents and also adults might screen it as well as educate duty without war” (Baldouf, 2007). Allowing eighteen yr olds to attain a license to drink would do a few effective things. First, it would make drinking less “cool” to age’s eighteen-twenty, and would certainly reduce the long wait if you want to drink legally. It would also deter humans under age eighteen from consuming due to the fact this license may be taken from minors for breaking the guidelines (Baldouf, 2007). If a minor ever were given stuck drinking under eighteen or without their license, they would then lose their eligibility to acquire this 3-yr license. The option to acquire this license or permit would certainly be the selection of the eighteen 12 months antique; no longer a responsibility. McCardell indicates that as a way to be eligible to acquire this license, the teen would certainly need to pass by means of an academic application at the make use of and also dangers of