Drinking Age Essay
In the United States, and eleven other countries, the legal drinking age is set at twenty-one. Even though there are several viable reasons why it’s illegal to drink before age twenty-one, many people in the United States believe it to be unjust that it’s not legal to consume alcohol when reaching the standard adult age of eighteen. As appealing as this privilege may seem, by changing the law, we would be overlooking the many dangers that drinking alcohol at a younger age can cause. There have been many studies done on the effects of alcohol in teenagers and young adults, not only physically but also psychologically. Decades of research has come to the conclusion that heavy drinking in teens has caused issues in the formation and functionality …show more content…
Another risk of drinking at a younger age is the increased chance of addiction, studies have shown that the earlier an individual start drinking the higher the chances are of becoming an alcoholic. One of the last reasons the legal drinking age should stay at twenty-one is possibly the biggest reason why it is. Driving under the influence is one of the leading causes of accidents in the US, killing approximately one person every fifty-two minutes. The age group of sixteen- nineteen-year-olds are three times more likely to be in a fatal crash, due to the involvement of alcohol, than someone in their twenties. One of the leading causes of DUI’s is peer pressure, usually from teenagers attempting to impress friends or acquaintances. Though people believe it would be good to lower the drinking age, we should look at the death or injury rates where alcohol is the cause, compared to the rates of accidents from people who hadn’t been intoxicated. There has been much data collected over the years showing just how much healthier and safer not only the US is, but many other countries have become since raising the legal drinking age to twenty-one. If nothing else, look at the one third of every twenty-five, thousand people that die every year due to alcohol related crashes where the victim wasn’t even intoxicated. Not only does alcohol have life changing effects on the people drinking it, but also everyone around
Should Drinking Age Be Lowered
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Lowering The Drinking Age
1326 Words | 6 PagesContrary to stereotypical opinions, like the position of the organization MADD, alcohol can give the user many health benefits - if used responsibly. Lowering the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) from 21 to 18 despite popular public opinion does not negatively impact society, and can in fact contribute to young adults’ growth and maturity into adulthood. When a person reaches the age of 18, it is considered the first step in becoming a full-fledged adult, which entails making important decisions regarding themselves, and others on their own. Provided that the age of adulthood is 18, logically it would encompass all of the adult responsibilities, including drinking at the ripe age of 18. Within the United States that is not the case.
Rhetorical Analysis: Joyce Alcantara's Mothers Against Drunk Driving
1789 Words | 8 Pages“There’s No Benefit to Lowering the Drinking Age” explains, on average about eleven teens die daily as a result of drunk driving (Voas 464). When teens throw a party, alcohol is usually involved. Then once the party is over the kids have to get home somehow and they often drive themselves. When an alcoholic drink is placed in an eighteen-year-old hand decisions are made that harm them and others
Underage Drinking Informative Speech
950 Words | 4 PagesToday in the United States about 4,358 people under the age of 21 years old die each year from alcohol-related car crashes, homicides, suicides, alcohol poisoning, and other injuries such as falls, burns, and even drowning. More than 190,000 people under the age of 21 visited an emergency room for alcohol related reasons in 2008 alone. Alcohol related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every two minutes. That’s a lot of people gone because they wanted to go out and party and not think about the consequences ahead. In this essay I’m gonna give you information to why Underage Drinking is very very bad for you.
Why Drinking Age Should Be Lowered
1434 Words | 6 PagesThat a pretty big question, well there are a couple reasons why, peer pressure, leisure but the main reason is “breaking the law” according to research 87% of high school seniors have drank alcohol. Which means that a big portion of teens below the age of seventeen to eighteen have consumed alcohol. The feel that teens get when breaking the law is huge. Being rebellious and not following the rules is a important role in a teens life. Preventing 18-20 year olds to drink will only push them to do it unsupervised “therefore possibly harming themselves with dangerous consequences”.
Drinking Age To 20 Research Paper
497 Words | 2 PagesThe drinking age was specifically set to age 21 to prevent mental impairment to American youth from drinking too early. In reality the brain does not reach full maturity until at least age twentyfive. If America wants to keep its people as healthy as possible, the drinking age should be released to twentyfive. None of the reasons for why the drinking age should be adjusted matter except for the level of development the brain has. For this reason the drinking age should be no less than 21 years
Persuasive Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age To 18
1834 Words | 8 PagesIt can cause depression and he or she can develop criminal behavior which can lead to death. It has been shown that when the drinking age is lowered teens increase drinking. When Arizona lowered their age to nineteen, teenage drinking increased by thirty-five percent. Car accidents have been known to come from alcohol and research has proven that with the age being twenty-one, suicides, DUIS, and crime rate have decreased
Minimum Legal Drinking Age
1882 Words | 8 PagesWhen the Minimum Legal Drinking Age changed to 21 years old in 1976, there was a decrease in fatal car accidents which saved approximately 21,887 lives (Alcohol Policy MD). Many lives were saved because there were less young drinkers and less people driving under the influence of alcohol. If it were possible to save lives, why wouldn’t you want to do that? An argument is made that if teenagers are allowed the responsibility to drive when they are 16 years old why can’t they drink at an earlier age? This is simply because Alcohol can put people in danger.
Drinking In Religion
769 Words | 4 PagesAlcohol abuse and alcoholism seems like an issue that keeps getting increasingly worse each year in the United States. According to USA Today and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both say that approximately 6 people die from alcohol poisoning, caused from binge drinking, each day, which amounts to roughly 2,200 people each year. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says that “In 2013 an estimated 697,000 adolescents ages 12–17 (2.8 percent of this age group) had an [alcohol use disorder]” (“Alcohol Facts”). Something has to stop and something has to change from preventing this more because 6 people dying each day from binge drinking alone is a lot, not to mention that 12-17 year olds are having alcohol problems at such a young age. Lowering the drinking age will enforce this act even more, promoting more drinking in fact.
Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age
1070 Words | 5 PagesLowering the drinking age: risky or safe? When teenagers 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 bar for a beer.
Arguments Against Lowering The Drinking Age
738 Words | 3 PagesOne main point that is argued is that younger brains are more susceptible to alcohol consumption and by lowering the drinking age, it would be approving the damage that alcohol causes in the developing brain. Emotional development, organization, and planning are all affected by alcohol consumption. Though it’s true that kids will still likely drink, that doesn’t mean society needs to approve of that decision. Another argument that is used is that more people drinking could create more unsafe environments. When people have too much alcohol, their decision-making skills are extensively lowered.
Why The Drinking Age Should Stay At 21
603 Words | 3 PagesHowever, “90% of drunk driving deaths in the United States were found in the over 21 age group” (Gruenewald). For this reason, drunk driving is not directly correlated with the drinking age. In addition, the percent of drunk driving deaths in the United States has reduced at a slower rate than European countries where they have their legal drinking age at eighteen. This suggest that if lowering the drinking age was a success in Europe, it may also be effective here in the United States to diminish the amount of drunk driving deaths. This is because people that become injured due to alcohol or alcohol poisoning are afraid to report their injuries to the hospital or authorities out of fear of illegal consequences for underage drinking.
Essay On Why The Drinking Age Should Be 18
827 Words | 4 PagesIn some countries, like in Europe the drinking age is set at 18. Even though people in the US think this is insane, this set age has more positive effects than people think it would. It is known that binge drinking is a problem in the US since it has the highest rate in the world for binge drinking. In Europe, teenagers get their license at age 18, and some drinking ages are lower than that, they figure out how to control their drinking before the drive. Unlike in the US, kids drink and then drive because they either have to be home by curfew or they are too scared to call their parents for a ride, and admit they had been under the
Argumentative Essay On The Drinking Age
1387 Words | 6 PagesOver the years, the legal drinking age in the United States has been heavily debated. Some argue that the legal age to drink should be 18 or 19 because people at that age are recognized as adults; 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 develop and gain a better knowledge of how to organize their lives. The drinking age should remain
Persuasive Essay On The Legal Drinking Age
1693 Words | 7 PagesA poll taken on July 2014 asked the public opinion of US adults for lowering the US legal drinking age from 21 to 18. Approximately 74% of the people opposed the idea, whereas roughly 25% of the people supported the idea ("Public Opinion" 1). The statistics indicate satisfaction among the majority of the people; however, with the current laws many issues arise that must be addressed concerning alcohol use. For starters, studies show an increase of dangerous drinking habits among young adults (Hall 2). In addition, the enforcement of the drinking laws and education on alcohol is insubstantial (Moyse, Fonder 3).
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