Underage Drinking Age Analysis

When it comes to an alcohol safety policy, the United States has never attracted more research and public attention than the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). In the U.S., the legal drinking age is one of the highest worldwide. The MLDA of 21 is to control traffic fatalities, protect young teens from killing themselves while driving under the influence, and prevent damage medically to a developing brain of a young adult. Many Americans believe that the drinking age of 21 has not stopped teen binge drinking events in uncontrolled environments; however, studies have shown that teens have not yet reached an age where they can handle alcohol responsibly, thus the drinking age should remain at 21.

In the United States a large topic of discussion is the drinking age, should it stay at 21 or should the age be dropped. Somewhat recently the age has been changed from 18 to 21 and a lot of people want to be changed back. By 1988, all 50 U.S. states and the federal government had set the drinking age at 21 years of age, but is it time to lower the MLDA (minimum legal drinking age) to 18 years of age? Those who argue against lowering the MLDA claim that teens have yet to reach an age of maturity in which they can responsibly drink alcohol, and thus are more likely to develop binge drinking habits and endangerment of themselves and others by drinking prior to the age of 21. Those in favor of lowering the MLDA argue that the current MLDA doesn’t stop underage drinking and promotes binge drinking into private less controlled environments. Not only this, but lowering the MLDA strengthens the economy and can gradually expose people to drinking without overdoing it.

There are numerous problems involving alcohol in the world today, including alcoholism, drunk driving, and alcohol poisoning leading to death. Many of these problems involve minors and are linked to drinking underage. The legal drinking age in many states is twenty-one years old. The purpose of this law is to keep minors out of danger: away from drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, and injuring the brain before it is fully developed. The government supports the belief that people are not ready or responsible enough for alcohol until this age. However, various professors and researchers are discovering ways to disprove this belief. These people think that reducing the drinking age to eighteen would influence our country in a positive

There has been a debate going on about the minimum legal drinking age, or “MLDA”. Some people believe it has no impact on our youth, and should thus be lowered to the standard age of adulthood, age 18. They refuse to acknowledge the true significance of this law, however, and continue to see it as a futile attempt to control the inevitable. Yet in reality, having an MLDA of 21 has many benefits, and stands for a healthier view of alcohol consumption, regardless of the way people perceive it. It is for this reason, that the minimum legal drinking age should not be lowered to age 18.

The debate of lowering the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) has been going on for decades in the United States. Those opposed, argue that the current MLDA is not efficient and counterproductive (Engs 1). One study indicated that thousands of lives under the age of twenty-one are lost each year to alcohol (McCardell 1). Underage drinking is an issue that persists, despite evidence suggesting that the minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one has lowered alcohol usage among individual who are underage (Toomey 1961-1962). Teens tend to over drink, which can lead to severe consequences. They do not know better because they are inexperienced and not aware of the effects. Better drinking habits could be enforced by lowering the minimum legal drinking age. This could give eighteen year olds, when first considered as adults by most states, the right to decide about their alcohol usage ("Should" 1), and the ability to make safer choices which keep themselves and others safe.

An average of 88,000 people die from alcohol related deaths each year and nearly 5,000 of those deaths and 189,000 emergency room visits are due to underage drinkers (“National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism”). In 1984, when The National Minimum Drinking Act was passed, the drinking age was raised from age 18 to age 21. Even though the drinking age had only been raised a total of three years, it brought room for mental growth in the people that would then have to wait to be able to legally drink. Because of The National Minimum Drinking Act, fatalities and injuries lowered substantially in the following years creating a safer environment for everyone, especially those under the influence of alcohol. Even though alcohol is advertised to young, underage adults as a way to have fun, make friends or even relieve emotional pain, it is a killer and a serious threat to those that are not mentally ready to handle the effects it can have on the human brain. Allowing the drinking age

This era of teen indulgences has become an issue across the country. The problem is the bizarre and reckless drinking habits of the young adults in America. Focusing on college campuses, this is where many mishaps with alcohol takes place. When some young adults in the age range of eighteen to twenty-one think of the word "college," the word "party" also comes to mind. Partying in college is like a general tradition which is being depicted in many movies; although, they usually end with incidents regarding an irresponsible, intoxicated teen. With all of these real life and terrifying events, some U.S. states want to lower the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) anyhow. Missouri, South Dakota, Vermont, and Minnesota would still like their MLDA lowered. As reported from the Guardian Unlimited, there are bills in Missouri, South Dakota, Minnesota and Vermont that would lower the drinking age for the general public; Kentucky, Wisconsin and South Carolina have introduced bills that would make alcohol available to those under-twenty-one that are serving in the military. Although, there are several organizations that support the Country’s decision on the MLDA of twenty-one. These organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and the Gallup Organization try to develop smart ways to empower the movement of lowering the risk of unsafe drinking. All we simply have to do is keep the legal drinking age, for all states, at twenty-one.

Without a doubt, the United States has been facing serious national problems with underage drinking. Depending on personal ideologies, some people might not agree that the current minimum drinking age of twenty-one is based on scientific facts rather then ideology of prohibitionism. For example, since 1975 over seventeen thousand lives have been saved since the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) was changed to age twenty-one (Balkin 167). This shows that even over a short amount of time, a higher MLDA helps decrease the risk of teen suicides, accidents and overdose deaths. However, this widely debated topic has inevitably brought attention to the plethora of supporting and opposing viewpoints. The minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one

The question on weather the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) should be lowered has elicited much debate in the recent years. The proponents to the proposal of lowering the MLDA argue that setting it at 21 years has not resulted in the control of underage drinking, but has instead led to cases of binge drinking which leads to health and life threatening behavior among the teens. The opponents, on the other hand, argue that at 18 years, the teens have not attained an age where they can responsibly handle drinking. As a result they have higher tendency to harm or kill themselves or others by drinking. The opponents also cite the fact that traffic fatalities and accidents have drastically reduced with a higher MLDA. The MLDA should not be lowered since it would lead to more problems for the teens and society in general.

The United States’ minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of twenty one is almost a perfect example of a policy with unrealistic expectations and serious unintended consequences. The current policy that the United States has in effect criminalizes youth who consume alcohol at less than twenty one years of age. Young adults are going to drink under twenty one, so why shouldn’t the United States lower the MLDA to eighteen? Following Prohibition in 1933, many states made their MLDA twenty one. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, many states lowered it to eighteen to match the drafting age (Alcohol Policy MD). President Reagan passed The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 which required all states to raise their minimum purchase and public

The age of 21 is the appropriate age to allow the consumption of alcohol in the United States. Moreover, “the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that in 2010, 552 lives were saved by the minimum legal drinking age” (Voas, 2013, p. 1601). But traffic safety is not the only concern, if lowering the minimum legal drinking age, health and behavior issues will also be of concern. The possible consequences of lowering the minimum legal drinking age to 18 may include an increase on the number of deaths caused by alcohol related accidents, high schoolers underage drinking problem, and alcohol related sexual assaults. Therefore, I do not support the lowering of the minimum legal drinking age to 18.

The United States is part of the only 6 countries out of 138 researched to have the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) set at 21, the rest are all 18 or even lower (World Health Organization, 2004). Turning 18 entails receiving the rights and responsibilities of adulthood to vote, smoke cigarettes, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, be prosecuted as adults, and join the military, which includes risking one 's life, yet one can’t have a beer with their parent or friends. The legal drinking age should be lowered to 18, Once 18; a person is legally considered an adult and therefore should be able to drink. Lowering the drinking age will not only give 18-year-olds the rights and

The brain does not fully develop until the age of 25 or 26. This makes drinking at 18 very dangerous to the frontal lobe which controls memories, behavior, The drinking age has always been a very controversial topic in America. Some people believe that the drinking age should be lowered to 18, while others think that it should remain the current age of 21. We believe that the drinking age should stay the current number in order to save more lives and protect many people from getting harmed in any way. Cognitive defects of the brain, assaults in bars and nightclubs, and drinking and driving are three points that prove the importance of why 21 is the best number for drinking

Determining legal the appropriate legal age of drinking and the percussions of alcohol consumption and its adverse consequences is more than a challenge. To determine if the minimum legal drinking age should be set at 18 or 21 there is many barriers to surpass, “Their main limitation is that the correlation between alcohol consumption and adverse events imitation is that the correlation between alcohol consumption and adverse events is probably due in part to factors other than alcohol consumption” due to the fact that to analyze the correct drinking age will have to involve many discrepancies due to physical and culture wise, as the fact that studies involving underaged drinking will have to be done.

August 20, 2016: The first full weekend of freshman year at Clemson for me and ten other people I had met in the first week of college. It was one of my friend’s birthday and after eating dinner downtown so innocently, we all decided to crack open some alcohol to celebrate the new school year and our friend’s 18th. Not too long into the night, things went south quickly. In Lever, an openly and enforceable dry housing building, the RA on-call knocked on our door and asked to see identification and exactly how much alcohol he correctly suspected we had. Thus began what I was terrified would always happen to me, I would let loose once and make a huge mistake that would affect my entire college career. Luckily the university is forgiving and understands